


Reddie - Fictober19

by geminicastor



Category: IT, IT - Stephen King
Genre: M/M, Reddie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2020-11-27 06:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 41,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20943485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geminicastor/pseuds/geminicastor
Summary: A collection of short Reddie one-shot fics based off of the Fictober 2019 prompts!All will be Reddie with MAYBE some other It ships as side characters depending on the prompt.I started late but I'm catching up and then going full throttle! One a day once I catch up!





	1. "It will be fun, trust me."

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr at not-reddie-for-it for more updates and more pics!
> 
> I don't have a proof reader so please excuse my mistakes should you find any!

_"It will be fun, trust me."_ Don't ask me why this takes place at Christmas!! The prompt called for it!!

//

Eddie was 17, laying in bed reading one of the numerous books his mom had bought him for Christmas. It's all he ever got. Books, socks, and maybe a new type of health drink. At least it's all he got from his mother. But there was another Christmas tradition his mom didn't know about, and that's the tradition that he kept his bedroom window unlocked.

There was a knock on the window before it was slid open swiftly. Eddie didn't even bother looking up. He knew who it was. 

"Spaghetti man!" an excited whisper came from the window before a rustling sound signaled that the speaker had clambered into the room. Every year on Christmas night, Richie Tozier climbs into Eddie Kaspbrak's unlocked window and they exchange presents. This became a tradition the Christmas when the two of them were 14. Richie's family members were all out of town on work trips, leaving him alone to celebrate. Eddie was sent to bed at his normal bed time of 8:30 despite it being a holiday, and he decided to call Richie on a whim. When he found out that Richie was alone, he didn't hesitate to invite him over to sit in his room and read comics together. That first year, they only exchanged some candy for Christmas presents, but since then, their presents have gotten better and better. 

"I saved you some cake, but it's pretty gross," Eddie said, finally putting down the book and reaching into his drawer and pulling out a fruitcake wrapped in a napkin. 

"Ah, the wonderful Mrs. K! She can find a way to ruin everything!" Richie laughed, throwing himself backwards onto Eddie's bed. "What's wrong with it this year? Gluten free?"

"Gluten free AND sugar free," Eddie explained. "Plus all of the fruits were pre-dried." 

"Fruit cake isn't even good in the first place," Richie snorted. "Mrs. K needs to step up her game and ruin something that's actually tasty." Eddie couldn't help but crack a grin as he slid the fruit cake into the trashcan next to his bed. 

"Here's your real present," Eddie said, reaching back into his drawer and pulling out two small wrapped presents. 

"Oh! Two this year, Eds?" Richie smiled. "You spoil me!" 

"Oh shut up," Eddie rolled his eyes. "And you know-"

"Yeah, yeah! I know, _Eddie_," Richie laughed. This was normally the part where Richie would pull a small present out of his pocket to hand to Eddie, but he didn't. Instead he took the two packages and started opening them. Eddie raised an eyebrow but didn't mention his confusion. 

Inside the first package was a mixtape, one Eddie had made full of songs that he knew Richie would like along with one that he knew he would absolutely hate. They'd been best friends for so long, Eddie could listen to a song once and know whether or not Richie would like it. He decided to make a game out of it and see if he was right, hoping that he had picked the right song to annoy Richie any time he listened to the tape. It was funny to annoy him, but only barely. He didn't want to chase his best friend away.

The second package contained something most people wouldn't think to give Richie. Eddie wasn't most people. Eddie knew that Richie would love to get this Beanie Baby, Valentino the bear. It was white with a little red heart stitched onto it's chest. Richie had a small collection of Beanie Babies because the first year he had climbed into Eddie's window on Christmas night, Eddie didn't have a present for Richie so he just gave him one of his Beanie Babies his mom had given him when he was younger. It became another tradition.

"Ah yes! My own little Eddie bear," Richie grinned, poking the bear's heart gently and laughing. Eddie was worried about buying a Beanie Baby bear for a 17 year old, but the smile on Richie's face told him that he was right to stick to tradition. 

"I don't even let my mom call me that anymore," is all Eddie said in reply, but he couldn't help but let the small smile show on his face. Richie didn't say anything in response, although usually he would have the perfect snippy reply to that. Eddie glanced up at him, wondering what could be holding his tongue. "Richie, are you ok?"

"Eddie, we've been doing this Christmas thing for awhile, yeah?" he said, not meeting Eddie's eyes.

"Yeah, a few years I suppose," Eddie shrugged. He knew that it had been exactly 4 years but he didn't want Richie to realize he'd been counting. 

"We usually just hang out here for a bit, right?" Richie continued. 

"I mean, yeah?" Eddie muttered. "What are you..?"

Richie jumped off the bed and turned in one swift movement, finally letting Eddie see his eyes and they were sparkling with mischief. He held out his hands. 

"Come with me!" he said, smiling. Eddie was shocked before he started laughing. "I'm serious, Eds!" 

"Richie, don't-"

"Eddie! Eddie Kaspbrak!" Richie corrected, getting down on his knees in front of the bed and giving Eddie his best puppy dog face. "Will you please sneak out of your godforsaken mother's house and come with me? I've got it all set up!" 

"What? Got what all-" Eddie wondered. Richie had never asked Eddie to sneak out with him. It wasn't something Eddie was normally comfortable with and Richie knew that. Eddie was sent to bed by his mother and then he stayed in his room the rest of the night. He technically wasn't breaking any rules, but sneaking out is breaking a rule. 

"Your Christmas present! I set it up because it was too big to fit in my pocket this year," Richie explained like that made all of the sense in the world. But Eddie could tell that he was nervous. Eddie could always tell even though Richie liked to build up this huge wall of emotional protection. 

"Richie, I don't know," he said, pulling his knees up to his chest. He didn't like breaking the rules even though he knew the rules were stupid and pointless. He was 17 and he shouldn't be sent to bed at 8:30, especially on Christmas. He should be able to spend Christmas with his family or friends. Not the stupid books his mom bought. 

"_It will be fun, trust me._" Richie stood up again and held out his hand. The mischief in his eyes was gone, replaced by something more pure and honest. Eddie would never say it out loud, but he trusted Richie more than anyone else in his life. So he reached out and took Richie's hand silently, allowing him to pull Eddie off of the bed. After he changed into some jeans and pulled a thick, winter coat on, he went to the window with Richie. 

Eddie could see Richie's truck down the street, parked far enough away that if his mom looked, she wouldn't see it. There was a ledge right below Eddie's window and below the ledge was a large box. 

"Is that the present?" Eddie asked, looking back at Richie who had already thrown his leg over the window sill. 

"No, no," Richie shook his head. "Still too small. That's just what I bring so I can reach the ledge." 

That made sense to Eddie. He had never actually asked how Richie was able to reach his window, but it never really mattered to him. All that mattered was that Richie was there. Eddie watched Richie carefully so he would be able to replicate his movements and get down safely, but the nerves were starting to get to him. He'd never been allowed to climb a tree let alone scale a building. 

_ You're delicate, Eddie bear! You'll fall and hurt yourself! Remember when that wretched Richie boy let you hurt your arm? I can't believe you still want to be fri-_

Eddie tuned his mother out and threw his legs over the window, stepping lightly on the ledge. 

"Doing good, Spaghetti man," he heard Richie whisper from below. "If you put your hands down on the ledge then you can lower yourself on to the box. I'm down here too, so I can catch you."

The usual joking tone in his voice was replaced with the gentle whispering, like he was trying to comfort Eddie. He definitely could tell that Eddie was nervous about this whole thing and he wanted to help him feel safe. He tried to lower himself down, but he was significantly shorter than Richie and his feet didn't reach the box.

"R-Rich I can't...I can't reach!" 

"Hold tight, Eds," Richie said, and suddenly Eddie could feel large hands grip his waist. Richie was never afraid to touch Eddie, either a playful shove or a random hug from behind. The past few years, the touches were getting more and more frequent and they made Eddie's face light up red. This was no different. "Ok, let go. I gotcha." 

Eddie trusted him and let go, dropping down onto the box in a straight line since he was being supported from behind. 

"See! Easy-peasy!" Eddie couldn't help but snicker as he jumped off of the box. He was wondering how he was going to reach back up to get back into his room, but Richie was pulling him away before he could think about it too hard. 

They reached Richie's truck and clambered in quickly. Richie didn't turn on his headlights until they had passed Eddie's house to make sure his mom wouldn't look out the window and catch them. 

"So, where are we going?" Eddie asked after they appeared to be in the clear. He was starting to get antsy in his seat, questions swirling in his mind.

"My secret, little Eddie bear," Richie grinned over at him, popping the new mixtape into the car stereo. "A present isn't any fun if you know what it is before hand." 

They listened to the mixtape, Eddie laughing when they got to the song that he knew Richie wouldn't like. He had immediately made a face when the upbeat, "bubblegum pop" song started which sent Eddie deep into a fit of giggles. Richie ended up laughing too and letting the song play out even though he found it annoying. 

Finally, Richie stopped the truck. Eddie looked out the car window and saw that they were at Richie's house. 

"What..?" But Richie had already stepped out of the car and was going around, opening Eddie's door for him. 

"Right this way, my Spaghetti!" he said with that wide grin. Eddie rolled his eyes but stepped out of the truck and followed Richie up to the door. 

"Richie, seriously," he sighed. "What's going on?" 

"Mm, so impatient," Richie chuckled. "Didn't I ask you to trust me?" 

"And I do," Eddie replied, stuffing his hands into his coat pocket. The air was crisp and as he looked at the house, he noticed all of the lights were off. It was like nobody was there. 

"They're out of town again," Richie said with a shrug, as if reading Eddie's mind, then he opened the door just a sliver. "They left a few days ago. Hold on and stand here for a second. I'll open the door when you can come in."

"Richie!" 

"Please, please, my little Spaghetti head," Richie said with those damn puppy dog eyes again. 

"Fine, just don't leave me out here too long," Eddie replied with a slight shiver. "I don't want to catch a cold. My mom will find out I snuck out."

"Right! Just a second!" Richie beamed, slipping into the door and letting close behind him. Eddie saw the light in the living room flick on for a second, heard a few things moving around, and then the light went out again. Eddie wrapped his arms around himself tightly, watching a cold breath of air puff out into the air. 

"Ok!" Richie said, the door suddenly slamming open. Eddie couldn't help but yelp a little in surprise causing Richie to chuckle before gesturing to the open door. "Come on in, cutie!" 

Eddie walked past Richie and stopped, staring. Inside the living room was something Eddie never had the pleasure of seeing, mainly because his mom never allowed any of this into their house. 

A large, real Christmas tree sat in the corner of the dark room, it's colorful lights twinkling brightly and casting a cascade of colors around the dim room. On top of the tree sat a silver star, which almost looked like a disco ball with all of the lights reflecting off of it. A store bought cake and a medium sized package sat in the middle of the usually empty table with a dramatic candelabra lit up next to them. A beautiful fire was roaring in the fireplace, which Eddie wasn't used to seeing because using the fireplace is supposedly super dangerous according to one Mrs. Kaspbrak. 

"R...Richie..." Eddie mumbled, eyes wide as he stood frozen to the spot. 

"Merry Christmas, Eds!" Richie beamed. "I know you guys never had a tree because Mrs. K was worried you would have an allergic reaction, which is fucking stupid. And the cake is gluten free but packed with sugar! Wouldn't want to mess with Eddie bear's system too much, am I right?" 

Eddie wasn't able to speak, turning to look at Richie as he rambled, but he hoped his teary eyes would show off what he felt. Nobody had ever done anything like this for him before, not even his own mother. She only did what she wanted to, not caring to ask him what _he_ wanted. Eddie was beginning to regret the Beanie Baby present he'd gotten for Richie. It was a rare bear and had taken a lot of time to find, but it couldn't compare to everything Richie had set up. 

"Well! Whatcha think?" Richie asked, trying to keep his happy go lucky smile on. Eddie saw through it of course and saw the way Richie's hands were wringing with nerves, the lights reflecting off of his glasses so he couldn't see his eyes. 

"I can't believe you did all of this..." Eddie muttered, turning back and looking at everything in the room. The lights were dancing across the floor and the ceiling. It was truly beautiful. 

"Yeah, I may have gotten carried away," Richie laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. He walked over to the mantle and put the Valentino "Eddie" Bear down with it's legs hanging over the side. He gave it one more poke in the stitched heart before turning back to Eddie with a goofy face. "Want some cake Mrs. K didn't ruin?" 

Eddie rubbed as his face gently to remove the water from his eyes before they could fall down his cheeks and nodded with a giant smile on his face. 

Richie was right. Sometimes breaking the rules is fun.


	2. "Just follow me, I know the area."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is actually more "octobery" than the last one. I don't know why my brain wanted the last one to be Christmas but this one is a classic Halloween dare chapter! 
> 
> Don't forget, I don't have time to proof read...

_"Just follow me, I know the area."_

//

"R-Richie, I d-don't want to!" 

"Are you chickening out?" 

All of the losers were in the club house that they had made, Richie in his usual spot on the hammock. Well, all of the losers except for Eddie. Eddie was uncharacteristically late so the others had started without him. They were talking about Halloween coming up of course. Bill was the one who was arguing with Richie at the moment, although the other losers appeared to be on Bill's side.

"Yuh-yeah," Bill replied, leaning back in his chair. "I'm ch-chickening out I guess. Let s-someone else go. I'm not hu-here for that sort of th-thing."

"Not me," Beverly snorted. "I'm going to be too busy grabbing as much candy from the neighbors as I can get. Ben, you're still coming over right?"

"Yeah, count me out, Richie," Ben nodded, shrugging lightly. 

"Is there ANYONE brave enough to go on a fucking cool haunted trail walk with me?" Richie sighed loudly, exasperated. 

"What?" 

Everyone turned their heads up to the opening of the losers club house entrance and saw Eddie begin his decent into the small room. He was the one uttering the question of course and Richie smiled widely. If there was anyone he could get to go with him, it was Eds. 

"Oh, my Spaghetti head! You've come to the rescue!" he crooned, feigning a damsel in distress type of motion. "I am so glad you're here!"

"What is he on about?" Eddie asked, turning to Stan who was in the middle of rolling his eyes. 

"He wants to go out by the kissing bridge on Halloween," he explained, thumbing through one of his favorite field guides. "Like at night. Sounds like the stupidest thing you could do to me."

"It's just because you're all scared chicken-shit!" Richie huffed, trying to sit up in the hammock. Unfortunately this just caused him to make it unbalanced and he flipped over, tumbling out of the fabric. Eddie immediately took the opportunity to jump into the hammock instead. 

"What's wrong with it?" he asked, curling up in a ball to try and relax, ignoring the distinct Richie smell that the hammock was holding.

"You haven't heard?" Richie laughed, eyes dancing with glee behind his giant glasses as he sat up. "Tell him, Mikey!" 

"They say there was a man that lived under the kissing bridge ages ago," Mike began, taking the opportunity to turn his voice as creepy and dark as he could, grinning. "He wasn't homeless, no. They say that living under there was a choice he made. Well, one late Halloween night, it was dark and windy, no lights on the bridge. He climbed up and was sitting on the edge of the bridge, apparently eating some candy corn to celebrate the holiday since no kids go to the kissing bridge for trick or treating. While he was sitting there on the bridge, a group of boys were coming over the bridge carrying their candy spoils. The crazy man stood up suddenly, and they say he was planning on asking for some candy but he scared the kids too bad by standing up so suddenly and the kids got scared and then he got scared..."

"What happened next?" Eddie was sitting up in the hammock by now, eyes wide as he stared down at Mike. He was clearly intrigued but also clearly nervous, clutching his fanny pack tightly. 

"HE FELL OFF THE BRIDGE AND PLUNGED INTO THE WATER BELOW!" Richie said, jumping up from behind the hammock and flipping Eddie over and out on the ground. Eddie hadn't even noticed that Richie had moved, let alone gotten behind him. He screamed loudly but it was 100% out of fear and not because he was hurt. 

"Richie!" Eddie screeched, leaping up and shoving Richie hard in the chest. That did nothing to deter Richie's loud, hooting laughter. "Don't fucking do that!" 

"Come on now, Eds," Richie smiled smugly. "Are you chicken-shit like the rest of these losers? You appear pretty scared just from hearing the story. Seems like you can't take it." 

Richie's taunting had the desired effect. Eddie's eyebrows furrowed and he pursed his lips in defiance. Richie grinned. _Hook, line, and sinker._

"I'm not scared! You just surprised me!" Eddie replied, his words falling out quickly like they do every time he gets flustered. 

"Ok, then prove it?" Richie said, still continuing to taunt him. He knew Eddie would fall for it, he was much too competitive. "They say you're supposed to go and leave candy on the bridge and turn around. And then when you turn back, the candy will be gone and replaced with the candy corn he dropped when he fell over the bridge."

"Candy corn is nasty," Eddie said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. 

"First of all, you're dead fucking wrong," Richie said, pointing a finger at his friend. "Second, thats the only thing you have to say about it? Come on, Eds! Where's your sense of adventure?" 

"Don't call me Eds!" Eddie mumbled. 

"I get it. You're just as chicken-shit as everyone else," Richie sighed, heading for the ladder to begin his ascent back into the real world. "I'll just go alone. I'll probably be murdered by the bridge man. It's fine that none of my bestest friends in the world want to accompany me and keep me safe and-"

"Shut up, Rich! I'll go. Jesus don't get your panties in a bunch." Richie's savior was, of course, none other than Eddie Kaspbrak, who was occupying the hammock again. He had his arms crossed and a firm frown on his face. 

"Great!" Richie beamed, continuing up the ladder with a quicker speed so Eddie would have no time to rescind his acceptance. "I'll come by your house on Halloween and we can claim we're going trick or treating together! Bye bye, Spaghetti Eddie!" 

A few days later found Richie in front of Eddie's house, across the street, rocking back and forth on his heels. He was very excited but he knew Eddie would be nervous. Perhaps nervous enough to back out and Richie wanted to make sure he didn't. He was wearing a simple, rugged cowboy costume, a fake beard scribbled on his face using some of Beverly's crappy eyeshadow. 

The door to the Kaspbrak house opened and the familiar face of Eddie came tumbling out at a quick speed. In fact, faster than normal. He appeared to be running, his own cowboy hat hanging on a string behind his back as it was thrown off due to the speed he was using. His usual fanny pack was on his waist instead of the belt that came with the cheap costumes. 

"Go!" Eddie suddenly yelled from across the street, waving wildly at Richie. "Start running! I'll catch up?" 

Richie was about to question this when the angry face of Mrs. Kaspbrak appeared in the doorway, screaming. And that answered Richie's unasked question. 

"Eddie!! You can't! It's too dark! You don't need candy anyways! Eddie don't go! Kids do bad things on Halloween! You'll get hurt!" 

Richie knew that Eddie was faster than he was, so he about faced on his heels and took off running, fully confident that Eddie would be able to catch up. By the time Eddie did catch up to him, they were down a full street and Richie was cackling madly. He hadn't expected that. Sure Eddie had been telling his mom off more and more lately, but he hadn't fully disobeyed her like this since the time they went to the crackhouse. 

"Eds, you are one brave man!" Richie laughed, slowing down once they felt like they were far enough away that Sonia would give up her screaming. 

"She's being ridiculous," Eddie replied, breathing heavily. Richie watched Eddie's hands reach over to his fanny pack but not open it, like he was considering using his inhaler but he didn't want to. Richie didn't say anything about it.

"Well that was exhilarating!" he said instead. "Nothing to prepare you for a bridge hobo like a face-off with good ol' Mrs. K!" 

"Oh..." Eddie said in a sort of breathless sigh. Richie kept walking towards the direction he knew the bridge was but glanced at Eddie through his peripheral vision. It was getting darker the further away from the neighborhood they got. There weren't any lights on the path to the bridge.

"You ok there, Eddie?" Richie asked, reaching over and picking Eddie's fallen hat off of his back before dropping it back on his head, careful he didn't pull on it enough for the string to choke his friend. 

"Just...it's dark," Eddie said, fixing the hat now on his head to be more comfortable. "I won't be able to see my way back if I get lost, you know?" His voice was ever so slightly shaky and Richie was wondering whether it was due to the possibility of getting lost or the possibility of getting mugged by a bridge hobo. 

"_Just follow me, I know the area,_" he said, reaching over slowly and grabbing Eddie's hand. For a second he thought he had crossed a sacred _Eddie barrier_ but then he felt a gentle squeeze back. 

There was a few seconds of silence, something you don't often get with Richie around, but it was a comfortable silence as they walked deeper down the trail towards the bridge. That's when Eddie realized what Richie said and insinuated. 

"You know the area?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Since when do you frequent the kissing bridge?" 

Eddie felt Richie's hand go ridged in his own, tightening for a brief second before relaxing again. The return of the emotional wall Eddie was so used to running into.

"Just that time I came here to scratch your moms name on the bridge," he taunted, back to his usual jokes. Eddie wondered if he should press it, also wondering if he really was here scratching someones name on the bridge. But to be honest, he didn't want to seem too desperate, so instead he just tightened his hold on Richie's hand as it got even darker and mumbled some sort of _shut up_. 

Then, the bridge came into view. At least as much of a view as was possible in the dark forest. Both boys found themselves stopping. 

"So...now what?" Eddie whispered, suddenly lowering his voice as if he was going to awaken someone if he talked too loudly. 

"Did you bring some candy?" Richie asked, his voice equally as whispery. Eddie let go of Richie's hand, much to his dismay, and reached into his fanny pack. He pulled out two small, slightly melted Baby Ruth's. "Coolio. I've got some Snickers too. Let's go." 

"Richie..." Eddie hissed, still barely whispering. He was starting to get really antsy. "Are you sure about this?" 

"I told you," Richie said, reaching back over and hooking their arms together tightly. "I know the area. Come on, you'll be fine. If the demon hobo wants a sacrifice, I'll throw myself over first." 

Eddie stifled a laugh, biting down on his lip to keep his voice down. And he found themselves walking forward slowly, creeping towards the creepy, dark covered bridge. They made it to the edge and Richie took a deep breath before stepping forward onto the first wooden plank. It creaked, the sound echoing loudly through the covered bridge. 

"Jeez," Eddie sighed, trying to calm down his shaking. "Richie remind me to kill you later."

"If the boogeyman doesn't get to me first," Richie replied with a joking tone. But he tightened his hold on Eddie's arm anyways. 

The two finally began creeping forward onto the bridge, stopping in the middle. It was nearly pitch black and Eddie and Richie found themselves pressed together, arms still hooked and hips flush so they could physically feel the support that they both needed apparently. Not willing to unlock arms, they both bent over so they could place their candy on the bridge. 

"Ok, so we just...turn around?" Eddie asked quietly. 

"That's what Mike said," Richie replied. "It's all just hogwash of course..."

Richie's tone didn't make it seem like he was so sure of that. But he began to turn, forcing Eddie to turn with him since they were still locked together. 

"How long do we stand here?" Eddie asked, his mind beginning to ramble with possibilities of some sort of hobo ghost walking around behind them. 

"I...don't know," Richie admitted, using his free hand to run through his wild hair. 

"Great plan, Rich," Eddie whispered, rolling his eyes. 

"Give it a minute, Eds." 

"Don't, Richie!" Eddie grumbled, trying to stay quiet. His voice echoed down the bridge though, and he found himself naturally curling into Richie's side. They huddled there for only about 20 seconds longer before Richie decided that Eddie would have a panic attack if they didn't turn around soon. 

"Ok...let's turn now," he muttered, giving Eddie's arm another squeeze. 

"O-Ok," the poor kid replied, clearly shivering now. He'd probably just say it was because of the cold but Richie didn't bring it up anyways. 

"One...two...three!" 

They turned...

And saw the small pile of Baby Ruths and Snickers sitting in the same spot. If it wasn't so dark, Richie would've seen Eddie visibly deflate with relief. 

"See! Hogwash. Bullshit," Richie chuckled nervously. "Wasn't this fun though? Aren't you glad you came out here for some Halloween fun?"

"You're an ass," Eddie rolled his eyes. Then shit hit the fan.

"CANDY!" a loud, deep scream echoed from the other side of the covered kissing bridge. "LEAVE ME YOUR CANDY!"

Both boys whipped around, eyes wide. It was still impossibly dark but they could see a strange, billowy outline of a tall man standing in the exit of the bridge, his arms waving slightly. They paused, staring, eyes wide....before they both let out an ear splitting screech, extremely high pitched for boys of their age and neither would ever admit to it. 

"Eddie!" Richie yelled, releasing the other's arm only to grip Eddie's hand again tightly and take off running as fast as his skinny legs could take them. "Hurry! Come on!" 

Eddie was too busy screaming to notice that Richie was yelling his name as they both fled off into the night, leaving their candies behind them on the haunted bridge. 

After the two were out of sight of the bridge, the strange, shadowy figure began to crumple. 

"Ow! Get off! They're gone!" one voice yelled, sure that Eddie and Richie were gone. 

"We're gu-going to get an earful t-tomorrow!" a second voice said, dropping off of the first voice's shoulders and taking off the oversized coat they'd been using to cover up.

"Good job, boys!" yet another voice called from the bushes as she clambered out of them. Her face was barely lit by the cigarette she'd been smoking. Two other's followed closely behind her, laughing. 

"Can't wait to hear about this later," one of them said, walking out over the bridge and picking up all of the candy left behind. "Those two are so predictable." 

"Did you hear him screaming Eddie's name?" the voice of the girl said, dropping her cigarette and stepping on it. "They're absolutely clueless." 

"One day they'll stop being stupid," the final voice said, and everyone could practically hear his eyes roll. 

"Yeah. Let's g-get back home. We'll s-split the s-sp-spoils on the way. Happy H-Halloween, guys!"


	3. "Now? Now you listen to me?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie talks so much that sometimes he doesn't listen to other people. 
> 
> This was one of those times, or so Eddie thought. 
> 
> (Involves a pretty hot and heavy makeout scene, but nothing more than that!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WANT YOU GUYS TO KNOW THAT I WROTE THIS WHOLE CHAPTER AND THEN MY COMPUTER DECIDED TO DISCONNECT FROM THE INTERNET AS SOON AS I HIT SEND AND DELETED THE WHOLE THING.
> 
> SO I HAD TO WRITE THE ENTIRE CHAPTER ALL OVER AGAIN AND AHHH IT PROBABLY SUCKS BECAUSE I WAS TIRED AND COULDN'T REMEMBER WHAT I HAD WRITTEN EXACTLY THE FIRST TIME. 
> 
> Also, ignore my crap knowledge of Street Fighter. I played one of the gameboy games ages ago and thats it.

"_Now? Now you listen to me_?"

//

17 year old Eddie Kaspbrak was sitting up on his best friend's bed. He often found himself here on the weekends his own mother let him spend the night. Eddie would spend the night every weekend if he could, but of course, his mother thought Richie was a bad influence. If only she knew. 

Eddie had been planning to make a move tonight, per instruction of Stanley. Stan was getting annoyed with Eddie's constant "pining" and told him to get a move on before the losers club all went crazy.

"_I'm not pining_!" 

"_Bullshit_."

Richie was everything Eddie wished he could've been if he didn't grow up as sheltered as he did. His mom had kept him under lock and key, scaring him and forcing her way of life down his throat. Richie was free from that, a free spirit who didn't feel the need to wash his hands every hour. He was a mess, but a mess that Eddie wished he could've been. And with all of the wishing he could've been like Richie...it started turning into wishing he could be with Richie. Then maybe some of his wonderfully messy "Richie-ness" would rub off on him. 

Eddie knew he would chicken out of telling Richie how he felt, but he didn't know he wouldn't even be given a chance. Ok, well thats not true. This kind of thing happens all the time. 

You see, Richie was on a tirade, ranting about Street Fighter again. And when Richie gets on a rant like this, he tunes everything out, ignoring any words anyone else might be saying. Eddie was normally used to it, but when he was hoping to get a word in here or there to gauge how his best friend truly felt about him, he was unusually agitated with the current turn of events. 

"They said that Sagat is going to become a playable character soon, but I never saw what was so special about him," Richie was saying, leaning against the headboard as he scanned through a comic book he was reading. Eddie was wondering if Richie was actually able to read the comic while ranting like this. He himself had a book open, but was only pretending to read it, too distracted by Richie to be able to focus. "He's just a boss at the end and everyone went crazy over him."

"Mhm, yep," Eddie nodded halfheartedly, knowing that Richie wouldn't even hear him anyways. He was right. 

"Now Ken is where it's at!" Richie continued on, not missing a beat. 

"Of course, Richie," Eddie glanced over, turning the page in his book despite having not read a word on the previous page. Richie had his eyes glued to the comic as he talked, completely oblivious. 

"Ken Masters! Even his name sounds super badass!" 

Eddie was suddenly wondering if he could push his luck, just to get some of his emotions out of his brain even if Richie wasn't listening. In fact, it would make it easier to talk if he knew Richie wasn't listening. 

"I think they should make Marty McFly playable," Eddie said quietly, testing to see if Richie was still 100% zoned out. 

"Most people like Ryu better, but Ken is a lot cooler! You know, there's this character named Mike." Yep. He's completely oblivious. 

"Then I would make E.T. a boss so Marty could fight him," Eddie continued, slowly laying down so he wouldn't distract Richie. He didn't think anything could distract him at this point though. 

"Mike isn't anything like _our_ Mikey though! Mike killed a man and went to jail! Could you imagine our Mikey doing that?" Richie started laughing, still thumbing through the comic. 

"You're really cool, you know. I know you care," Eddie whispered, laying on his side and looking up at Richie through his lashes. 

"Ok, so Mike is Mike just because of the names," Richie reasoned. "That makes Bill Guile and Stan Dhalsim. Right? That makes sense?"

"You're really funny even though I try my best not to laugh at your stupid jokes," Eddie continued, smiling gently now as he felt the words begin to tumble out of his mouth. He couldn't stop himself. 

"Ben...he would be either Honda or Blanka, I think." Richie tapped on his chin, eyes still glued on the comic. 

"Richie..."

"Bevvie is Chun-li, of course," he snorted. "I want to be Zangief!" 

"...I think I love you."

"Wait, what?" 

Eddie froze, eyes wide. He was still looking up when Richie's head whipped around to stare at him. He'd heard. He'd actually heard him. Richie tossed the comic book he'd been reading to the side, turning his body to look at Eddie fully. 

"What did you just say?" he asked again, more pressing. 

"...nothing," Eddie finally said, rolling over so his back was to Richie. He didn't want to see Richie's face at the moment. He was panicking. He was panicking so hard. Out of all of the sentences Richie could've heard, it had to be _that_ one?

"I just want to be sure I heard you right, Eddie," Richie replied, leaning back again so he was against the headboard like before. "That's all. Come on, talk to me, Eds." 

"_Now? Now you listen to me_?" Eddie finally muttered, reaching up and rubbing his eyes roughly, trying to will the tears back into his eyes. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. 

"Fine, if you won't talk, then I'll talk again," Richie huffed. Eddie was glad he said that. Maybe if Richie started ranting again, they can forget all about this. Maybe they can move on and Richie will stop- "I love you, too." 

"What?" Eddie screeched, sitting up so quickly he almost flipped out of the bed. But when he looked over, Richie had turned himself over, his back to Eddie just like Eddie's back had been to Richie previously. 

"Nope, no repeating," Richie said without looking up. "One for one. Even Steven. Goodnight, my Spaghetti Eddie!" 

"Richie!" Eddie sighed. "Don't try to distract me with that dumb nickname. It won't work!" 

"What will work?" 

"What do you-?" Before Eddie could say anything else, Richie bolted up, flipped over, and leaned close in one quick motion, stopping only a few centimeters from Eddie's red face. Eddie's unfinished question hitched in his throat at the sudden closeness of Richie's lips. He was so close, lips perked up ever so slightly in a smirk, eyes narrowed behind his glasses with a playful glint. He looked the exact opposite of Eddie, whose mouth was dropped open in surprise and eyes wide. Eddie could feel Richie's hand slowly shifting across the bed to rest just behind him. 

"Will this distract you?" Richie asked quietly. "Now...do you want to tell me what you said again? I'm all ears." 

Eddie couldn't speak even if he wanted to, his voice buried deep somewhere. But he could move.

Throwing himself forward, his arms bracing around Richie's shoulders, Eddie slammed his eyes shut and brought their lips together hurriedly, afraid that Richie was going to pull away. Afraid this was all a huge practical joke. He just didn't want to see Richie's face right now as he held their lips together gently, his nerves practically making him dizzy already. He felt Richie's hand shift from the bed to run up his back, resting between his shoulder blades before applying enough pressure to push their chests together in an attempt to get even closer than they already were. Eddie gasped at the contact, allowing Richie's tongue to press to his bottom lip. 

Eddie couldn't help but moan softly at the sensation. Richie felt so warm. His own house was cold. His mother kept it cold so that Eddie would be more likely to get sick inside and be forced to take her meds. Richie's room was the polar opposite. Warm. Bright. Now it was almost hot in Richie's room and Eddie was suddenly aware of how long it's been since he's taken a breath. He reluctantly broke away from Richie's lips, leaning forward and resting his forehead on Richie's shoulder so he could breathe deeply for air. 

"Well, I could listen to you all night, Eds," he heard Richie say, chuckling lightly. "I may never speak again because I don't want to miss a word."

"Oh shut up," Eddie said, but he was smiling.


	4. "I know you didn't ask for this."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A classic "and they were roommates" AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not proof read because I'm trying to catch up on fictober. Only 5 more before I'm caught up and then I'll do my best to get one chapter out a day! 
> 
> Once I'm able to get to that point, I can go back to updating my normal chapter fic too, "Return to Derry". 
> 
> Anyways! Here we go!

"_I know you didn't ask for this._"

//

Richie was laying in his bed lazily eating ridiculously buttered popcorn out of a giant bowl as he flipped through the tv channels. There was nothing good on and Richie couldn’t help but let his eyes continue to wander to the empty bed across the room from him.

His sophomore assigned roommate Eddie was always out late on Thursday nights. He had some sort of study date with someone named Stanley and it always caused a flare of jealousy in his stomach, even though he claimed he didn’t even like Eddie.

Ever since they met on the first day of sophomore year, Richie throwing his clothes out of his bag haphazardly and Eddie folding his bedsheets so neatly that a drill Sergant would be impressed, they had been at each other’s wits end. They went together like chocolate went on pizza, which is to say, they don’t go together at all. Or at least they shouldn't. 

Richie has tried everything he could think of. Sharing his junk food, bringing him comics, helping him with the parts of the homework he didn’t get. But Eddie kept him at arms distance and refused every single nice thing he ever tried to do. Which made sense to be honest, seeming as Richie had a bit of a reputation. He was well known as the class clown and prankster while Eddie was a model student who strived to follow every single rule no matter how stupid it was. He wasn’t surprised Eddie didn’t like him.

It didn’t annoy him any less even with that knowledge. Richie just wanted to be friends at first, but he couldn’t help being overly attracted to his standoffish roommates. Unfortunately he was always attracted to the ones that played hard to get. Eddie was no different and he was playing harder to get than anyone he'd ever met.

Bill told Richie that it probably meant he wasn’t playing. He just didn’t want to be bothered by the school idiot anymore. Richie refused that idea. He never gave up. He was relentless. 

He cornered Stanley in the hall a few days ago and forced him to tell him what Eddie missed most about his old town. Stan had tried to get him to stop asking, rolling his eyes and acting annoyed. But he finally gave in, telling Richie all about how Eddie complained that their room wasn’t sterile enough.

That sounded absolutely ridiculous to Richie, but Stan told him that he was telling the truth.

“_He has a tough upbringing and it effected him in weird ways. He’s just more comfortable when he’s in a clean atmosphere and that’s all I’m saying about it. It’s his story not mine._”

So Richie waited until Thursday when he knew Eddie would be out late and spent 2 hours making their shared room absolutely spotless. He left Eddie’s bed alone because he knew that Eddie wouldn’t be happy if anyone touched the place he slept. But Richie cleaned up his entire side of the room, putting clothes away in the closet and throwing away every bit of trash he could find. And then he went around and wiped down every single surface he could reach, making the room smell strongly of Lysol and fabric cleaner. He swept the floor and shook his small carpet out of the window to rid it of crumbs.

Finally he was satisfied with his cleaning job and he disposed of his gloves before plopping himself on his bed with a bowl of popcorn where he had been sitting ever since, trying not to freak out too much. This was really his last shot to get Eddie to look at him without scowling. If this didn’t work, he was out of ideas.

Finally, after another half hour of waiting, Richie heard the door slide open and then gently close shut. He had finished the bowl of popcorn and put it away neatly so that everything would still appear perfect when his roommate arrived. He tried to calm down his leg, but it was bouncing nervously anyways. He was not allowing himself to look over at Eddie, not wanting to give away anything. But he heard the sharp intake of air from the doorway. 

"The hell..?" he heard the other say. Showtime.

"Oh! Hey there Eddie Spaghetti! Out so late? I got bored without you!" 

"Got bored, my ass," Eddie replied, hanging his coat up in the closet immediately and leaving his shoes by the door so he wouldn't track dirt into the spotless room. "What did you do?"

"I cleaned up," Richie shrugged. This is the longest conversation they'd had in weeks and Richie was not about to let that go to waste. 

"Ok, let me be more specific," Eddie huffed, putting his bag down in it's normal spot between his bed and his study table. "_Why_ did you clean up?"

"Do I need a reason?" Richie asked, flipping over onto his stomach but keeping his eyes on Eddie who was walking around the room investigating all of the surfaces. 

"You always need a reason, trashmouth," he replied, not looking over. Richie flinched at the nickname that was given to him by some other kids in the college. This wasn't going as well as he had hoped. They were talking, sure, but Eddie still seemed so hostile. 

"I wanted to make you more comfortable," he replied, deciding it was time to be honest. What the hell, this was the last shot. Might as well lay his cards on the table. 

"More comfortable?" Eddie asked, finally letting his eyes shift over and land on Richie. 

"Yeah, I figured you'd prefer your room be cleaner, so I spruced up hoping you'd be more comfortable in here now." Eddie didn't seem convinced, pursing his lips and turning back to his own bed before sitting down and opening his book bag. Richie thought he would go crazy. It wasn't working. Still. 

"Hey, um...listen-"

"Richie, stop it. Just stop ok. We don't have to be friends." That was the final straw. 

"_I know you didn't ask for this_. I know you don't like me, but at least tell me why! I'm trying so hard here. I really am! I don't spend 2 hours of my life cleaning for just anyone! At least tell me why!" Richie realized he was in hysterics now, rambling too much, but this whole situation was getting to him. He spent his entire life making jokes and doing stupid voices to get people to like him and Eddie refused. 

"Richie calm down...it's not that," Eddie sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "It's not you." 

"Bullshit.." Richie replied. "Whatever. I tried." 

"I know and that's why I didn't want to be friends," Eddie mumbled into his hands. 

'What? That doesn't even make sense," Richie laughed, bitterly. He didn't want to admit how much it hurt to hear Eddie say he didn't want to be friends with him, even after all of this. 

"I had a roommate last year and I planned to be great friends with him too," Eddie began, leaning back on his bed. "He found out some stuff though and didn't want to be friends after that. I figured I'd spare you that. You seemed like you cared too much immediately. I didn't want to hurt you so I...I pushed you away."

"What are you talking about?" Richie sat up now that Eddie had laid down. Eddie hadn't said that much to him ever and Richie was itching to get to the bottom of it. Eddie took a deep breath and covered his face again before mumbling into his palm. "What was that..?"

"I said not many guys want their roommate to be gay." 

Richie's eyes went wide. _This_ is what it's all about? Eddie being gay is why he's kept Richie so far away from him? It felt like a punch to the gut. He must really not like Richie if that was the case. 

"Rich..? Hello?"

"Am I ugly?" Richie was surprised that that was the question that came out of his mouth, but he was even more surprised when Eddie's face lit up red. 

"W-what?" Eddie sputtered out, a look of embarrassment and confusion displayed on his face. "W-why would you...?" 

"That's why you don't like me, right?" Richie reasoned. "Because I'm ugly."

"No! God no!" Eddie blurted out, becoming extremely flustered. "You're reading this all wrong! Anyways, aren't you angry? Or disgusted or something? I know you didn't ask for _this_!" 

"I would never be so shallow, Eds!" Richie exclaimed dramatically. Seeing how flustered Eddie is now, Richie felt back in control. "Besides, I could never be angry with you now that I know how attractive you find me."

"What? Rich, I never-"

"I read you like a book, my dear Spaghetti!" 

"Oh god, the stupid nicknames," Eddie sighed.

"Don't lie, I know you like them now!" Richie smiled smugly. Now that everything was out in the open, he felt like everything was going to be smooth sailing from now on with Eddie...as long as he kept the room clean, he supposed. 

Worth it!


	5. "I might just kiss you."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High school dance AU
> 
> This one took a second to come up with but it's cute in my opinion! The prompt isn't used in the way you'd expect. This one is longer so the next one will probably be short.

"_I might just kiss you_."

//

"Richie, I don't want to go," Eddie repeated for what feels like the hundredth time that month. Richie was trying to convince him to go to senior prom with the other losers that wanted to go, but of course Eddie wasn't interested. He knew his mom would have a fit if he went, and he wasn't big on those types of parties anyways. 

"Eddiiiie!" the taller whined, grabbing Eddie's arm and shaking lightly. "Please! I'll be so bored without you!" 

"You're the one that wants to go," Eddie retorted. "Nobody is forcing you." 

Beverly, Ben, Bill, and Mike all wanted to go as a sort of group date, which made Richie feel like the proverbial 5th wheel. Hence why he was trying so hard to convince Eddie to go with them. But Eddie had told him over and over again that he and Stan were planning on watching movies at Stan's house like the losers usually do on weekends. He didn't want to go to the stupid prom. But there was another reason he didn't want to go that hadn't mentioned to anyone.

Here's what happens with groups. They all go eat together and everything is fine, but then they get to the dance and the couples split off to dance together leaving the singles against the wall, that's Eddie and Richie. But then here's what happens next. The popular, outgoing single will start to mingle, if nobody is already mingling with him, and he'll end up dancing with someone and then...according to the movies...he might even go home with someone. 

Eddie knew he wasn't the popular, outgoing single in their friend group, but he knew who was and Eddie didn't want to be there to watch him leave with someone else. 

That's why Eddie found himself on Stanley's couch at 4:30pm on a Saturday afternoon flipping through tv channels, Stan in the other room making a bowl of unbuttered popcorn. He couldn't settle on a channel, but it was mainly because he wasn't focused enough. His mind was elsewhere. 

"God, Eddie," Stanley finally said, settling down on the couch. "Just pick something. You've scrolled through everything three times now." 

"Sorry, there's really nothing on," Eddie sighed, handing him the remote. Stanley was able to find a movie they both liked within two minutes, giving Eddie a weird look. 

"You're distracted," Stanley finally said, not a question. 

"I'm just tired," Eddie came up with quickly. "I was writing a paper pretty late last night. Wanted to be able to spend all of my time here, completely distraction free." 

"Eddie..." Stan muttered, rolling his eyes. They'd been friends long enough for him to be able to catch Eddie in a lie and they both knew it. Stanley was smart and observant. He knew. 

"How was your paper? What did you choose to write about?" Eddie continued, trying to ignore the weird look Stan was giving him. Trying to ignore the nagging in his chest as it got closer and closer to the time the dance would start. When Richie would be at the dance and dancing with someone else. 

"Eddie, listen," Stan tried again. 

"I wrote mine about that dumb short story we read last week. The one with the-"

"Eddie listen!" Stanley finally yelled to get his attention. Eddie's eyes snapped up to Stan's in surprise. Stan rarely raised his voice like that. "I've got an extra tux." 

"W-what?" Eddie muttered, confused.

"You can't stop thinking about the dance," he explained. "I know you. I've got an extra tux, you know. I knew your mother wouldn't let you out of the house with one tonight." 

"I don't want to go to the damn dance, Stan," Eddie said, more like he was trying to convince himself. His brain kept conjuring images of Richie off in a huge crowd while Eddie stood against the wall alone. 

"I know you don't...but I also know that there's someone else you'd rather be with right now than sitting on a couch with me and bowl of popcorn," Stanley said, raising an eyebrow. Eddie burrowed himself into the couch, covering his face as he groaned with annoyance. 

"Stan, just leave it alone. Please." 

"Eddie. _Eds_. Are you really going to let yourself be miserable just because you're scared?" 

Eddie peeked through his fingers over at Stan, and made his decision. 

//

Richie was sitting on a chair in the far corner of the dance hall, his top shirt buttons already undone and his bowtie laying discarded on the table. He'd originally been sitting with Bev and Ben, but he shouldn't be surprised that they'd gone and left him in favor of dancing together. Bill and Mike were working the punch table together, seeming as they loved to be goody two shoes and volunteer for this type of stuff together. But that left Richie completely alone at the table.

"Hey there," a random girl said, walking up and smiling sweetly. 

"Keep walking, cupcake," Richie sighed without even giving her a second glance as he shoved another chip in his mouth. 

"Don't have to be so rude," she snipped, her demeanor immediately going sour as she walked away angrily. No, Richie wasn't there for that. He knew he was the only guy sitting down right now so single ladies would want to flock, but that's not why he went to the dance. Part of him was really hopeful that a certain someone would show up. 

"What's up, Rich?" a voice said, plopping down in the chair next to him. This was not the certain someone he was hoping would show up. 

"Stan the man," Richie chuckled turning to his friend. "I thought you had a hot, in-home date tonight." 

"Hmm," Stan hummed. "What gave you that idea?"

"What are you up to, Stanley?" Richie asked, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. "You weren't planning on coming, and I know it. You'd much rather read another bird brain book than spend $10 on a ticket to a dance."

"Yeah, you're right," Stan shrugged. "But someone said he wouldn't come if I didn't come too and I had to get his mopey ass off of my couch." 

Richie perked up at that, sitting up straight again and glancing around. 

"Seriously?" he exclaimed quietly, eyes wide behind his glasses. 

"Seriously," Stan nodded. "He went to the bathroom before coming in. I think he's nervous." 

"_I might just kiss you_." 

"Gross. Save that for someone else," Stan cringed, his nose wrinkling slightly. Then he looked past Richie as if seeing something behind him before standing up. "Oh thank god, here he comes. Jesus christ. Ok, I'm going to go find Bill and Mike. You two have fun and please for the love of all that is holy, if he ends up depressed on my couch tomorrow, I'm blaming you." 

"Wait, wha-" But when Richie turned to ask Stan the question as he walked away, his voice hitched in his throat.

Eddie had walked in through the door, visibly shaking and glancing around nervously. He's wearing a dark tux that appears to be a little too big on him, but it doesn't hinder how beautiful Richie finds him under the blue party lights of the room. He could see how red Eddie's face was, but as soon as he sees Mike and Bill at the punch table, he starts to head over to them. Richie watches as Bill frowns at Eddie before nodding his head over in the direction of Richie. 

Eddie follows the direction Bill nodded to and his eyes land on Richie, who was still seated, staring widely. And then Eddie starts to walk over slowly. Richie's heart could've stopped. 

"Hey," Eddie muttered quietly, once he finally arrived at the table. 

"I thought you didn't want to come," is all Richie is able to say. He tried to think of a joke to crack but nothing comes to mind. He's too shocked that Eddie is actually here. He'd have to actually give Stan a kiss later for making this happen.

"Yeah, I didn't," Eddie replies, sitting down in the seat Stan had previously vacated and resting his chin on his palm. "I don't like these things. Putting yourself out there in front of everyone seems like such a dumb, trivial thing to do." 

"Well, are you here for everyone?" Richie asks. With Stan's hints, he's pretty sure why Eddie is here and he couldn't be happier, but he wanted to hear it. God, he wanted to hear it.

"No. No, I'm not," Eddie replies, looking over at Richie pointedly. "I'm here to babysit an asshole who I knew was going to end up alone at a table. You can't go to prom alone with two couples and expect them to stick around the whole night."

"I didn't intend to go alone," Richie shrugged, finally allowing the shock to wear off so he could start using his brain again. "I asked someone but they kept turning me down." 

"You...you asked someone?" Eddie asked, his face suddenly going pale as he scrambled for his pocket. Undoubtedly, his inhaler was in there.

"Woah, woah calm down, Eds!" Richie exclaimed, leaning forward quickly. "You know who I asked." 

"I do?" he replied, taking two hits from the inhaler. 

"Yeah, dummy. Think about it," Richie sighed with a gentle smile. 

"I've been thinking about it all night, asshole..." Eddie huffs, slightly under his breath but Richie could still hear him and just that phrase made his face light up in his classic grin. He stood up, the chair getting pushed back in the process, and held his hand out. 

"Come on," he said, flashing that toothy grin like he'd just won the lottery. "Let's go dance!" 

"I don't dance, Richie! Especially not in front of people," Eddie replied all too quickly, shaking his head. 

"Oh, well ok then," Richie shrugged, beginning to walk backwards towards the dance floor slowly. "But it'll be pretty hard to babysit me from way over here while I'm out here on the dance floor just waiting for someone to come and snatch me up." 

"Rich...Richie!" Eddie called after him, scooting to the edge of his chair. It was that moment that Beverly walked behind their table and bumped into Eddie's chair sneakily, causing it to tip forward slightly so Eddie was forced to stand up if he didn't want to fall on the ground. 

"Go," Beverly whispered with a mischievous smile. "I swear if I have to hear him pining over you one more night, I'm moving schools." 

"What?" 

"Fucking go, Kaspbrak!" she laughed, giving him a shove on the back so he stumbled forward, tripped over his own feet, and landed in Richie's arms. 

"Good of you to join me," Richie beamed. "Thanks, Bevvie dear!" 

She just waved in response as Richie pulled Eddie with him to the dance floor, the other still protesting madly. 

"Richie, I can't dance!" 

"It's a good thing I can, then!" the taller replied, and began swaying back and forth without letting go of Eddie's hands. Eddie was blushing harder than he thought he ever had but was forced to sway along. "There you go, Eds."

"Don't call me that," Eddie muttered, biting his lip before deciding to ask a question that had been buzzing in his head since he arrived. "Why were you sitting down if you were wanting to dance?"

"I was saving my special dancing for your mom," Richie replied, laughing lightly. "But I'm glad you showed up so I could dance with you instead."

Eddie couldn't help but find himself laughing as well, finally relaxing into the dance and allowing himself to tighten his hold on Richie's hand.


	6. "Yes, I'm aware. Your point?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We've arrived to the first fictober that I'm writing in canon storyline! 
> 
> It'll be short though so let's go!

"_Yes, I'm aware. Your point?_"__

_ _//_ _

_ _Eddie and Richie were walking back into town while holding their bikes beside, as solemn as they could be. This wasn't normal for them, as usually they were screaming and arguing and being general assholes to each other. Today was different though. _ _

_ _They had just gotten done washing off at the quarry with the rest of the losers, removing the filth that the Neibolt house had left all over them. Eddie felt like throwing up with every step he took, but he wasn't excited about returning home. They had just fought off a horrifying creature, but he still had to face his own mother whom he had royally pissed off before leaving earlier. _ _

_ _Richie was equally as quiet, but for a totally different reason. _ _

_ _He hadn't wanted to go back in the first place. The only reason he did was because of Bevvie. And now, here they were. Matching cuts deep on their left hands and hearts heavy with the idea that it might not be over. They'd felt so triumphant but then Billy had to stand up and make them swear. Make them promise. _ _

_ _Richie couldn't believe they had all done that. _ _

_ _"We're here," Eddie said, stopping in front of his house and looking up at it like he was staring at _It_ all over again. _ _

_ _"You don't have to go in right now," Richie mumbled. "We can go somewhere else for a bit." _ _

_ _"We cut our fucking hands up, Richie," Eddie replied, still staring at the house in front of them._ _

_ _"_Yes, I'm aware. Your point?_" Richie asked, trying to give Eddie a cheeky grin, but he was still being ignored. _ _

_ _"We need antibiotics, antiseptics, and bandages or else the cut will get infected. It'll scar. It'll probably make my mom freak out. She's going to be so mad. She-"_ _

_ _"Let's go somewhere else," Richie interrupted. "The cut can wait. Your mom...can wait. Never thought I'd say that." _ _

_ _"Do...do you have bandages at your house?" Eddie asked, finally taking his eyes off of his current nightmare and glancing at Richie using his peripheral vision. _ _

_ _"Yeah. Yeah, let's go there for a bit," Richie grinned, reaching over and throwing his arm around Eddie's shoulders. "Come on Dr. K! I need you to fix me up!" _ _

_ _"Shut up, trashmouth," Eddie grumbled, but Richie could hear him chuckling, a sigh of relief following as he relaxed ever so slightly into Richie's arm. Yeah, Rich had a point. His mom could wait._ _


	7. "No, and that's final."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of "and they were roommates"! The first part was chapter 4!
> 
> Almost caught up! We're almost there! I think I might be able to catch up by the end of the day! (Today is the 10th!)

"_No, and that's final._"

//

Ever since their little talk, things had been steadily getting better with Eddie. He was talking more, making dumb jokes back, and sometimes even let Richie sit on his bed to help each other with homework. Sure, he was still super angry and still a clean freak, but at least now he was a clean freak with a little bit of manners. 

At this point, Richie was ready to move on to the next phase of his plan. Once you reach friendship level 5, you're supposed to unlock the backstory, and based on what Stan had told him to get Richie to clean the room like he had, there is some weird backstory here. Once he gets the backstory, Eddie's defenses will really drop and Richie can make his move to the next level...relationship level. 

But first, the backstory. 

Richie started by doing another ridiculously thorough cleaning of their room, breaking out the lysol and bleach wipes again. It worked so well the first time, why not start with that again? Sure it was time consuming and annoying, but anything for Eddie! 

After the room was to what he believed would be Eddie's satisfaction, he started on the next part of the plan. Sappy movie time. He'd selected a particularly depressing movie that always made him cry but wasn't _too_ heavy. He didn't need Eddie out of commission afterwards. He just wanted to soften that tough exterior. So he put the movie in and waited. 

He didn't need to wait long, Eddie appearing in the door way of their shared room merely 20 minutes later. He took note of Richie sitting in the dark and staring at the tv as it replayed the menu screen for the movie over and over again. The light of the tv was the only thing lighting the room. 

"Rich, what are you-"

"I picked a movie for us to watch together!" Richie replied happily, gesturing to a small selection of pretzels and candies he'd bought for the occasion. "Roomie movie night!" 

Eddie turned to the tv to see what the menu screen was showing and his demeanor immediately fell. 

"No, not this one," he said, shaking his head vigorously. "No way. Pick something else." 

"You don't like Marley and Me?" Richie exclaimed, sitting up quickly. He hadn't anticipated this. He hadn't even rented any other movies. "Come on, Eds! Everyone loves Marley and Me!" 

"Don't call me Eds. And no, I don't like sad movies." 

"It's hilarious though! The dog is a pure riot!" Richie argued. "He pulls a bunch of pranks, makes a lot of messes, takes some pretty big shits, but in the end they realize they love him anyways." 

"I see what you're doing, Tozier," Eddie sighed, sitting on his own bed and slipping his jacket off. "No fucking way." 

"Back to last name basis? I thought we were friends now, Spaghetti," Richie cried, dramatically feigning hurt. 

"Damn your nicknames are stupid," Eddie sighed. 

"Allow me to distract you from them with some movie magic-"

"_No, and that's final_." 

"Eddie!" Richie whined, throwing himself back on his bed, again, in the most dramatic fashion he could. "I just want to be your Marley!" 

"You know he dies at the end right?" Eddie rolled his eyes, picking up a piece of candy and throwing it at Richie's face with impeccable aim. 

"Ouch, spoiler alert."

"You've already seen it, asshole." 

Richie didn't know what to do at this point. Eddie was supposed to watch the movie, realize how charming Marley really was, relate that to Richie's shenanigans, and then tell him his entire life story after the tragic ending made them both cry. The plan was foolproof, but of course Eddie had to go and be difficult. 

"I can't watch it ok," Eddie finally spoke again, breaking into Richie's inner monologue. "My mom used to make me watch it every time I asked for a dog." 

"What?" Richie muttered, stunned. It seemed like they were getting to some backstory after all...

"My mom," Eddie sighed, staring at his closet door so he could avoid Richie's eyes. "She wouldn't let me have a dog because apparently it would set off my allergies and my asthma. So every time I asked, she would show me this movie. She'd tell me about how dirty dogs are. How hard it is to take care of them. How much it hurts when they die. In reality...I never even had asthma. But yeah, she's right. With the way she raised me, I wouldn't be able to handle the mess."

"She sounds...interesting," Richie commented, rolling over onto his side to glance at his roommate. 

"Yeah," Eddie chuckled darkly. "Interesting. That's a word." 

Richie clicked a button on the remote, turning the tv off and throwing the room into darkness. He'd rent a different sappy movie tomorrow, but for tonight...when Eddie offered a piece of his backstory, Richie knew he would have to offer one back to solidify the trust. He wasn't planning on going to one of his deeper stories so soon, but it felt called for. A mom story, for a mom story.

"You know, it's kind of funny," he started, not sure really how to go into it. So he just let the words come out on their own without thinking about it. "If that explains why you're so neat, then it explains why I'm so messy."

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked, sounding intrigued. Richie couldn't see him anymore, but it sounded like he had rolled over and was facing him as well. 

"My mom was never home," Richie said, biting his cheek a little before continuing. He never really talked about this, but with how willing Eddie was to talk about his weird mom, he felt like he deserved some honesty. "She would get up early for work and wouldn't get home until after I had gone to sleep. I used to not know where she was at night, but when I got older I recognized the smell of alcohol so I didn't ask her. I was afraid of the answer so I ignored it and just took care of myself. She was never there to tell me to clean up, so I just didn't. I guess I just don't like to clean now because of it."

Eddie was silent for what felt like a few minutes and Richie was starting to wonder if he had actually fallen asleep during his emotional outpouring. But then he finally spoke.

"Well, you cleaned for me," he said, which was a weird comment to make in Richie's opinion, but he couldn't see Eddie's face so he didn't know what to make of it. 

"Yeah, yeah I did," Richie replied, reaching over and pulling his pillow up to his chest. This night was not going as planned. "A little birdie told me it might make you more comfortable." 

"A little..?" Eddie mused before chuckling lightly. "Dammit Stan." 

"I forced him to give me something," Richie said quickly. "Don't be mad at him for it. Be mad at me for being a nosy little fucker." 

"No," Eddie hummed, a sound which Richie recognized as meaning that Eddie was getting tired. "I'm glad he told you. I hate to admit how much I missed the smell of bleach even though it does remind me of my mom." 

"I think that just means you like getting high on fumes." Richie couldn't help himself, the joke was right there. Luckily, he heard Eddie snort, meaning the joke landed well. Perhaps if he pushed his luck....

"Goodnight, Rich." 

"So....does this mean I can be your Marley, just with less mess?"

"I said goodnight!"


	8. "Can you stay?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY WE GET TO A PROMPT THAT I CAN USE FOR A POST CHAPTER 2 FIX IT FIC!!!!
> 
> I'm going to try not to use this prompt how you'd expect, but here we go! Richie is kind of OOC in my opinion but Eddie just got stabbed in the stomach so you know, he's allowed to be OOC. Whatever. It's fluff. We deserve some fluff!
> 
> TW: One mention of slurs

"_Can you stay?_"

//

Richie couldn't believe it. After everything they'd gone through and everything they had done together...

"It just had to be you.." Richie sighed, setting his glasses to the side laying his head down on the slightly wrinkled sheets of the hospital bed. His other hand was out stretched, gently folded over the top of his best friend's hand. Eddie. Eddie was still non-responsive of course, breathing slow and steady as he lay in the hospital bed, eyes closed and hooked to machines. 

They had tried to convince Richie that it was time to go, that they need to leave Eddie behind and it was too late for him. Richie refused. Nobody could pull him away from Eddie's body so they finally gave in and helped him carry Eddie out of the house. It was difficult to drag him up through the well, as they had to tie Eddie's body to Ben's back using Richie's jacket and Richie climbed up directly underneath them using one hand, supporting Eddie's weight to Ben's back as best as he could. Once they got out of the well, Ben and Richie throwing themselves onto the floor with fatigue, Bill and Mike had to pick up Eddie and carry him the rest of the way while Beverly helped Ben and Richie stumble out of the house. It had been one of the most stressful, tiring moments of Richie's life but seeing Eddie laying on the street, Mike and Bill pressing Richie's jacket to his gaping wound while Beverly ran down the street screaming for help. 

And now, 6 days later, Richie was still here in Derry with the comatose Eddie in a hospital bed. He rarely left, only allowing it when the nurses forced him out and back to the town house to get a shower and a clean pair of clothes. But this was better than the alternative, Richie reminded himself, gently squeezing Eddie's hand again. 

He'd made a promise to himself before going into Neibolt and it all stemmed from going back for the stupid token. When they had talked about getting tokens, of course Richie's mind went to an actual token, and once he got there, he remembered exactly how everything had gone down back in the day. 

He'd known it, but he'd never said it out loud. He had known what would happen if you said it out loud in this sort of a town, even as a kid, so he kept it under wraps as best as he could. Unfortunately, Bowers wasn't quite as stupid as he let on and he picked up on the cues. Richie wondered now if he had picked up on the clues for reason, perhaps because of some sexual repression himself, but it was pointless to ask now. Bowers was dead thanks to Eddie. 

That knowledge did nothing to stop the onslaught of negative memories that came with the thought of Henry Bowers. All of the yelling about being a faggot really got into Richie's head, but it did nothing to hinder his feelings. Feelings that only multiplied once they all arrived in Derry again and he realized now, as an adult facing off against their worst nightmare (a demon Pomeranian?) that life was too short. Life was too damn short. And he needed to tell someone. He needed to tell Eddie. 

But then everything happened the way it did, Eddie had lost so much blood, and Richie had been sitting on this for almost an entire week, holding the love of his life's hand but not being able to tell him anything. Not being able to see his eyes or hear his laugh. It was mental and emotional torture and the nurses were really starting to take pity on him. His manager kept calling but he was refusing the calls, refusing to leave Derry while Eddie laid in a hospital bed alone. He knew how much Eddie hated hospitals after spending so much time in them as a child. He didn't want him to wake up in the overly sterile environment and have nobody there for him. 

"Eddie.." he suddenly found himself whispering into the pure white bed spread. "Eddie, I'm so sorry. I should have told you sooner. I should've told everyone sooner, but especially you. I was so scared though. I couldn't lose you if you decided to hate me or if someone decided to hurt you because of me. But now look at you.."

Richie, his face still buried in the sheet, shifted his hand so it was underneath Eddie's, his shaking fingers interlocking with Eddie's cold, still ones. He could feel himself beginning to slip, tears threatening to escape as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

"I can't lose you like this," Richie continued, gritting his teeth in-between words. "How am I supposed to fuck around with your mom if you aren't there to laugh about it? You have to wake up, Eds. You have to. I'll go crazy if you leave me now. I promise if you wake up, I'll tell you. I'll tell you everyday. Even if you hate me, I have to tell you and you have to know. But I want you to stay..." 

There was no response. Of course.

"_Can you stay?_" Richie muttered in defeat, so softly he thought nobody would be able to hear it. 

Silence, sretched and deafening. 

And then motion. Motion so small he almost missed it. 

He felt Eddie's fingers flutter ever so gently, but just that small bit of motion caused Richie's face to shoot up, his free hand scrambling for his discarded glasses. 

"Eddie! Eddie, can you hear me?" he was saying, trying to keep the hope from creeping into his heart as he shoved his glasses onto his face. He ran his thumb over the back of Eddie's hand, willing him to move again. 

Silence again. 

And then Eddie's fingers tightened around Richie's weakly and his eyes blinked open slowly. He let out a small groan probably at the brightness of the room and that's when the tears began to cascade down Richie's face. 

"You're...holding my hand....asshole." Eddie's voice sounded so weak and gravely after not being used for so long but Richie could hear the amusement. 

"Eddie!" It's the only word Richie could form, his brain too overloaded with the immense joy he was feeling. Every ounce of fear that It had ever instilled in Richie was gone, replaced by 10x the amount of happiness at seeing Eddie's eyes for the first time in days. 

"You're using...my name too, not some...stupid nickname. What's going on? What...happened?" Eddie asked, his breath labored. He started glancing around and taking in his surroundings, but it was obvious where he was so he brought his eyes back to Richie, trying to focus them. 

"You did it," Richie exclaimed softly, using the back of his free hand to swipe at the tears on his own cheeks. "You did it and now you're back! You're ok!" 

"I don't feel very ok," Eddie groaned, trying to sit up but not even able to move himself an inch. 

"God I'm stupid! Let me call the doctor back in!" Richie exclaimed, jumping up when he realized how much pain and shock Eddie must be feeling. He tried to release Eddie's hand, but was surprised when he found that he couldn't. Eddie had tightened his hold. 

"N-no...don't let go yet," Eddie mumbled, pursing his lips. His voice was getting slightly stronger, but he still sounded so raspy. "I...need to anchor myself to something for a bit. Plus...I...I heard everything you said for the past few minutes and it sounds like you need to tell me something. _Can you stay?_ Just a little longer." 

"Eddie.." Richie was shocked, but he allowed Eddie pull him back down to his chair. "You're hurting though."

"I can wait for the doctor but I don't want to wait for you anymore."

Richie found himself chuckling, rubbing his eyes with his free hand, shoving his glasses up to his forehead. He'd been endlessly thinking about what he wanted to tell Eddie, but now that it was here and Eddie was awake, he didn't know how to start. 

"I've rendered you speechless for once," Eddie chuckled before getting serious again. "But here's the thing. I'm not stupid and neither are you. Just open your big, fat mouth and say it. Trust me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying." 

"Edward Kaspbrak," Richie sighed, dropping his face down to rest his forehead on Eddie's knuckles. "Eddie. Eds. My spaghetti head. As-"

"Spit it out, Tozier, before I die again."

Richie took a deep breath and lifted his head only slightly so he could look up into his best friend's eyes. His best friend.

"Ouch, ok! Here's the truth, _Kaspbrak_, although I suspect you've already know at this point because I'm a big fucking idiot. I've had insane feelings for you ever since we were 14 and I thought I was going to lose you to a killer psycho clown. And even now I can't believe I ever forgot about that for all of those years away from this shit-hole. To be honest, I was scared to leave this place without you, without knowing that you're ok. I...I don't want to forget you again." 

"That's sweet and all but you haven't said it yet and you told me you'd say it everyday if I woke up," Eddie said, narrowing his eyes. But there was a smile on the edge of his lips. "Here I am. Awake."

"Fine! I'll say it! Jeez, Eds!" Richie exclaimed. He expected Eddie to say something about the nickname, but instead, he just stared expectantly. He was serious about this confession. "I'm in love with you, ok? I always have been but I couldn't do anything about it in this shit town so I ignored it and pretended to makeout with your mom instead. Is that what you wanted?" 

"Yeah, you can call the doctor now," Eddie nodded, face not giving away any emotions. 

"Wait, what! You're not going to say anything about any of that?" Richie exclaimed, jumping up but still not letting go of Eddie's hand. "That's it? You make me say it and that's it?"

"Well I can't really makeout with your mom with my stomach hurting the way it is," Eddie explained, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Let go of my damn hand, call the doctor, and then come back over and hold my damn hand again."

Richie was beyond shocked, but grinned widely, finally allowing himself to release Eddie and comply. He raced to the door, opened it, and yelled for Eddie's assigned doctor to hurry in. Within seconds he was back at Eddie's side, both of his hands cupping Eddie's tightly, but not tight enough to hurt him just in case. 

"Wow, you're actually listening to me for once," Eddie laughed, the sound magical to Richie's ears. "I should die more often."

"Don't you fucking dare," Richie said, but he was still smiling like an idiot. "You do this again and I'm never saying it ever again." 

"Well say it again now before the doctor gets in," Eddie replied, smirking. "I want to hear it again." 

"That's not fair! I already said it! You haven't said anything!" Richie exclaimed, trying to sound upset but he couldn't help laughing. He was so worried he wouldn't get to hear Eddie's banter ever again and yet here he was. They were here, together, and Eddie "don't fucking touch me" Kaspbrak actually wanted to hold his hand. 

"God, I love you, Eds." 

"I love you too, Chee. Now get the doctor to give me every pain med available to I can kiss you."

"Yes, sir!"


	9. "There is a certain taste to it."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 40 year old Richie and Eddie meet at a wine tasting AU
> 
> Basically, Richie is a big fucking flirt. I'm really headcanoning 90's team Reddie for this one!
> 
> This is a dumb idea but I like it!

"_There is a certain taste to it._"

//

Eddie raised the glass up, swirling it as he breathed in deeply. 

"Surprisingly light but very aromatic," he muttered to himself, leaning over his table and taking notes in a small notebook. Then, he took a sip, savoring the flavor on his tongue before swallowing. It wasn't as strong as he would've guessed, seeming as the color of the wine was a deep velvety red. He nodded while taking more notes. 

"Tastes like grapes to me," a voice said next to him, a bit too loud for the relaxing atmosphere that Eddie enjoyed at these kinds of events. "Grapes with a hint of alcohol." 

"Excuse me?" Eddie asked, wrinkling his nose in annoyance as he turned to look at who had spoken. 

"Tastes like glorified grape juice," the person explained, grinning ridiculously. He was tall, had thick glasses resting at the base of his nose, and his shirt was half untucked, a deep contrast to Eddie's pristine suit he always wore to wine tastings such as these. 

"You don't go to these kinds of things often, do you?" Eddie huffed. "You clearly don't know how to taste correctly."

"Oh, I definitely know how to taste," the man smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. This only made Eddie frown, lips pursed. 

"If you'll excuse me, I'm tying to focus," Eddie said, turning back around and facing the bar, waving a hand towards the worker there. 

"I prefer hard liqueurs but my best friend wanted to bring me as her wing man," the man continued, ignoring Eddie's obvious disdain of the continued conversation. 

"A wing man to a wine tasting?" Eddie asked, his interest peaked. "That's an interesting choice."

"She likes interesting people. And I think I do too," the man shrugged, still smirking. Eddie found that smirk to be beyond annoying.

The worker finally arrived with two glasses of a lighter red wine than the last one, it's tasting card on the tray next to the glasses. 

"Oh! No, I only needed one glass," Eddie shook his head vigorously, taking a glass and the tasting card quickly. He set the card down on the table, face down. 

"Are you not together?" the worker asked, motioning to the stranger next to him. 

"Indeed, my good sir!" the man smiled, using a ridiculous, British accent and taking the remaining glass. "Why thank you!" 

"Oh my god," Eddie sighed, rubbing his temple gently as the worker walked away, confused. "I use these tastings to destress. I really enjoy the peace and quiet it offers, so again, if you would please excuse me." 

"So you come here often, then?" the taller continued, undeterred by Eddie's trying to escape the conversation. He tipped the glass back and took a large swig, lifting the card off the table and reading it at the same time. 

"Hey, hey! That's not how you taste it!" Eddie exclaimed, unable to help himself. He shot out a hand out and pulled the glass away from the strangers lips. "You'll waste it." 

"What would you suggest, then?" he replied, raising an eyebrow. "You're an expert right and you've just bought me a drink so you should show me how to enjoy it." 

"I did _not_ buy you a drink," Eddie insisted. He was getting increasingly upset by the random stranger, but he found that oddly enough, he couldn't walk away from him. "You have to smell it first. You know smell impacts taste incredibly." 

"Mmm, I've heard," the man nodded. "Makes me wonder why you smell so nice." 

"It's called a shower. You should try it sometime, asshole," Eddie narrowed his eyes in response. He didn't mention the fact that he also obsessively washes and sanitizes his hands so what the stranger was smelling was probably his current favorite citrus hand sanitizer. 

"Touche," he smiles. Not grins. Smiles. "Show me how to drink it."

Eddie rolled his eyes again, but nodded, lifting his glass up to his nose and repeating his swirling motion from before. He noted internally that it smelled refreshing. Fruity, but not like normal wine. 

"Whats on the card, chief?" the stranger asked. 

"I don't look at it until after I take a sip," Eddie explained, opening his notebook again and writing down his notes. Then, he closed his eyes and raised the glass to his lips to take a small, slow sip. 

"Sensual," the stranger noted almost to himself, but Eddie ignored him this time, focusing on the distinct flavor of the wine. It definitely wasn't a normal red. 

"It's a raspberry wine," Eddie finally said, opening is eyes and taking notes in his book again. "Is it?" 

"Righto, my good sir!" the man beamed, sliding the card over so Eddie could read it. "I wouldn't have been able to tell just from tasting it. It's just sweet to me." 

"_There is a certain taste to it._ You have to practice," Eddie explained, copying the card information into the book.

"Hm," the man hummed, that smirk back on his face. "I wonder what you taste like. You've had a lot of wine today, so I'd guess you'd taste like grapes and alcohol...with a hint of raspberry." 

"You're very forward, you know that?" Eddie couldn't help but laugh though, caught off guard. 

"I'm Richie," the man finally said. Eddie didn't realize they'd been talking this long without knowing his name. He was usually too paranoid to keep up a conversation with a stranger for long, but for some reason, this oddly infuriatingly annoying man seemed to set him at ease. 

"I'm...Eddie," he replied, looking down at his notebook to avoid Richie's eyes. Might as well... "Let's get another glass and see if you can taste that one correctly." 

"Spectacular! This ones on me!" Richie exclaimed, and Eddie could see him genuinely smiling again from the corner of his eyes. He couldn't help but let his mind wander for a second.

_I wonder if there is a certain taste to him._


	10. "Listen, I can't explain it, you'll have to trust me."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie is doing a show and ends up seeing Eddie. He feels like he knows him and has to find out who he is.

“_Listen, I can’t explain it, you’ll have to trust me._”

//

“And that’s why my mom won’t talk to my girlfriend anymore. It's been great everyone! I'll see you next time!”

The crowd burst into a fit of laughter, clapping for his final joke of the night as Richie waved to the audience and backed up off of the stage. He made one of his signature faces before disappearing into the backstage. 

“Brilliant, Richie! Fantastic night!” his mundane manager, Jackson exclaimed with a wide smile. It was the kind of smile you see politicians give at special events to make people happy. It was fake. 

“Yeah yeah, fucking great,” Richie replies dismissively waving his hand. “How long is the meet and greet line?”

“They’re about to cut it off so it’s a full night,” Jackson replied, checking his phone for updates. “You can handle it, Rich! There’s only three shows left on this tour and then you get your 2 week break before the next batch of meetings. You know the movie deal I’m working on? They’re loving how successful this tour has been!”

“I get it, I get it. Smile and wave.” Richie was tired. He always got tired at the end of his tours but this was worse than usual. He felt so drained but he knew the deal. Meet and greets made a lot of money and he had to do it no matter what. It’s a good thing he was so good at faking things and hiding behind his famous wall of humor.

He and his manager turned the corner and the length of the meet and greet line would’ve made Richie groan in annoyance….if he wasn’t so distracted by another surprising presence.

The man is average height, but short compared to Richie, and he has his hands in front of his stomach, wringing them together nervously. He has a hat pulled down over his hair as if he's trying to hide the fact that he's there. He also has what appears to be a man purse over one shoulder. But the oddest thing about him is that he's alone. People rarely go to comedy shows alone. 

He wasn’t actually in the meet and greet line though, he was next to it just glancing around.

And Richie can’t help but feel this nagging thought that he _knows_ this man.

“Rich? Earth to Richie?” his manager mutters, snapping Richie out of his staring.

“Hey Jackson, who is that over there?” Richie asks, not moving from the spot he froze at. Nobody had seen them enter, since they were still on the far side of the room, and Richie intended to keep it that way for at least a little longer now. 

“I don’t know. Probably somebody that didn’t get in line in time. It got cut off.”

Richie can't seem to make himself move, just staring at the man with intrigue. He can’t get over the strange feeling that’s washed over him. It's this strange sense of nostalgia, like there's nobody else he'd rather see right now than this man. It's almost painful how much he yearns to race forward and wrap him up in a giant hug. There's something else. A hint of fear? But that doesn't make sense.

“I need to go talk to him,” Richie finally says as his manager appears to get antsy next to him.

“What? Richie no! There’s a huge line and he’s not in it! Sucks to be him, now let’s go ov-“

“No!” Richie huffs, finally breaking his eyes away from the strange man and turning to his manager fully. “I _need_ to talk to him now. Tell them to hold the line. I'll be back in a minute.”

“Richie! What the fuck!”

“_ Listen, I cant explain it, you’ll have to trust me._”

“Rich-“

But Richie has already left where they had been standing and was creeping around the edge of the room trying to hide from the line of increasingly impatient fans. Slowly he makes his way across, ignoring his managers angry glares. He almost made it to the stranger(?), just about a foot away, when a kid near the back of the meet and greet line turned and happened to catch a glance of the one and only Richie Tozier. 

"It's him!" the kid exclaimed, tugging on his mother's sleeve next to him. "Look! He's here!" 

The entire line turned around and all got extremely excited very quickly, some screaming and calling out to Richie, some shouting jokes from the show. But Richie was entirely focused on the man in front of him, who whipped around at the same time as everyone else. But his reaction was different. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock, as if he really wasn't expecting to actually see Richie. His breath hitched for a second and then he finally spoke. 

"Chee..."

Richie felt his heart stop. He _did_ know him! 

"Hurry! Come with me!" Richie exclaimed. He didn't hesitate to reach out, grabbing the man's wrist and about facing, racing for the backstage area where he had a dressing room. 

Richie ignored the protests from the meet and greet line as they disappeared around the corner. He was sure Jackson would take care of it, but he would definitely owe him later. This was much more important. He didn't know why, but it was. Finally, they arrived and Richie pulled the man into his room quickly and slammed the door before releasing his wrist and turning to face him. 

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed immediately, holding up his hands. "That was weird right? I just didn't want everyone in the line watching me trying to talk to you." The man was glancing around again, doing everything to avoid looking up at Richie's face. He kept reaching for his bag and then pulling away before he could get into it, like he was trying to decide whether he wanted to get something out or not. 

"Um, it's fine," he finally said. Hearing that voice, Richie felt a memory surface, so suddenly and clearly that he was surprised that he hadn't remembered it until now. 

_"I fucked your mom!" _

_"Shut up! No you didn't!"_

"Eddie..." Richie finally mutters, a small smile playing at his lips. He couldn't believe the feelings that were cropping up in the pit of his stomach. 

"God, you do remember me," Eddie sighs in relief. "I've had this weird memory thing going on but my friend invited me here and when I saw you it was-" 

"Eds!" Richie all but yells, interrupting Eddie before throwing open his arms and engulfing the smaller in a strong hug. Eddie started to protest, but it died in his throat, instead chuckling and giving in to wrap his arms around Richie's waist. "God it's been so long! I can't believe I forgot to miss you this much!" 

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Eddie nodded into Richie's chest. "It was so weird." 

A loud banging sounded, causing Eddie to yelp and momentarily tighten his hold on Richie's shirt. But then he released Richie, leaping backwards with a red face. But it was just Jackson knocking on the door, yelling that Richie better show up before he gets fired. 

"I..." Richie muttered, looking at Eddie with a strange expression. "Eds, can you-"

"I'll just stay here for a bit," Eddie nodded. 

Richie grinned widely, heading for the door. He didn't really want to leave, worried that if he left the room he would somehow forget Eddie again. It was crazy to him that he would forget Eddie in the first place with all of these memories and feelings rising to the surface.

"Wait!" Eddie called out, and Richie immediately turned around.

"Yeah?" 

"Don't fucking call me Eds." But Eddie was smiling.


	11. "It's not always like this."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie has his first sleepover at Eddie's house and things don't go as planned.
> 
> I've had this idea for awhile and it fits this prompt!

_"It's not always like this._"

//

Eddie was so nervous. His mom had finally agreed to let Richie spend the night at their house. She'd only agreed because Eddie snapped and started yelling that he was just going to leave and spend the night at Richie's instead. There was no way she would let that happen. 

_"They could have foods your allergic too! What if their air conditioning unit isn't clean and it sets your asthma off? I bet they don't use the correct cleaners for his sheets. You'll definitely have a reaction!"_

So she agreed that he could come over for a sleepover. Any minute now, Richie would be arriving and he wanted to make sure that his mom didn't do anything to ruin this. 

"Eddie! Eddie bear, come down here please!" Speak of the devil. 

Eddie wanted nothing more than to ignore his mother's calls, but he knew that if he did anything to upset her now, she would get plenty of revenge tonight once Richie arrived. He could just hear her asking all sorts of horrible questions and telling Richie about every single allergy and medication that Eddie is on. Richie would never let him live that down. So he goes downstairs. 

"Look, Eddie bear! There are some tv shows that all three of us can watch together," Sonia smiles up at Eddie with a gleam in her eyes. "Won't that be fun? All of us together down here until you get too tired and you go to sleep?" 

"Oh, I was thinking Richie and I would go upstairs and play games after dinner in my room," Eddie mumbled, cringing at the idea of staying down here with his mom any longer than they had to. He'd had such big falling out with her after the Neibolt house that he had been avoiding her as much as possible lately. She was getting extremely clingy because of that. 

"But Eddie! Don't you want to watch tv with your friend? And with your mama?" 

"I don't think Richie wants to watch tv with you," he sighs, ignoring her distraught tone. 

"If he doesn't want to spend time with a mother then why would you want to be friends with him, Eddie?" she sighed, attempting to reach over to him. He scoots out of the way, avoiding her touch. 

"What's for dinner?" he dares to ask, trying to change the subject. He'd tried to warn Richie about the weird foods his mom makes, at which point Richie made yet another stupid 'your mom' joke, so he was hoping Richie would be smart enough to bring a snack or his own food. 

"I decided to try that gluten free meatloaf recipe that Peggy showed me," she replied, eyes narrowed with a sadistic sort of joy. Eddie could tell that she was doing it on purpose, trying to make Richie hate their house. Trying to make Richie hate Eddie. 

"That's great, ma," he sighed. 

Then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" she practically screamed, jumping up. But Eddie could move a lot faster than she could and he reached the door within seconds, throwing it open. 

"Oh! Hey Spagh-" 

Eddie didn't give him time to finish his greeting before he reached out, gripping Richie's wrist and pulling him inside and up the stairs as fast as he could. 

"We'll be back down for dinner, ma!" he called out, doing his best to ignore his mother's loud protests. She was screaming about wanting to watch tv, she'll make a snack, she can bring out a board game. Anything. But Eddie just pressed forward until they made it into his room and he slammed the door, finally releasing Richie's wrist. 

"...hey," Eddie said, looking up at Richie. He was worried Richie would make fun of what he'd just witnessed, but Richie just had his normal grin on. 

"What's up, Spaghetti Head?" he asked as he plopped down on Eddie's bed, appearing to completely ignore everything that had just happened. But Eddie couldn't ignore it, as grateful as he was to Richie for trying.

"I'm...I'm sorry about her," he says, sitting down on the floor and leaning against the door, as if he's afraid that if he walks away from the door, she'll find a way to bash through it. "_It's not always like this._"

"Don't be sorry. I knew what I was getting into with the ever lovely, Mrs. K," Richie chuckled. "It's not like I wasn't here a few days ago banging in her bed, ya know what I mean? Besides, I'm not here for her." 

"God, shut up, Richie!" But he was smiling again, which is exactly what Richie hoped to accomplish. 

"I brought a new comic! You can keep it if you want. I already read it," Richie said, changing the subject quickly so he wouldn't lose Eddie's smile. He did everything to keep Eddie smiling, even if it meant sitting in a house with his prison warden of a mother.


	12. "What if I don't see it?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie has self esteem issues and Eddie says NO.
> 
> I kinda group this in with my Return to Derry fic, but you don't have to!

“_What if I don’t see it?_”

//

Richie, age 32, was sitting on their sofa, waiting for Eddie to get home from some meeting with a business planner. Something about a potential tour plan? Usually Richie wanted to go with him to these kinds of meetings, but he was banned from first time meetings with new business partners since that time he made a crude joke about someone in the office outside….who happened to be the business partners wife.

Eddie made him sleep on the couch for 2 days after that one.

Richie knew he went too far sometimes and he also knew that Eddie got mad at him for it occasionally. His jokes were stupid and childish. Sometimes he wondered if Eddie ever regretted asking Richie to marry him. He could be more trouble than he was worth…

He wasn’t particularly attractive by conventional standards, being lanky and gangly. His hair was always a mess and his hairline had even started to recede already. Not to mention he tried wearing contacts but they wouldn’t stay in so he was forced to keep wearing the stupid coke bottle glasses he always had. No, he didn't think he was nearly as attractive as his counterpart.

Richie liked to talk big game, but he knew it was because he hid all of these insecurities behind a mask of humor.

“Honey I’m home!” Richie heard the door open and close, the welcome voice of his husband floating into the room and breaking him out of the negative thoughts in his mind.

“Dear god, please don’t turn me into the housewife in this relationship,” Richie called back. He was joking though, as he’d already set up a nice little dinner for them. Chicken divan and dinner rolls, one of Richie’s best home cooked meals. He walked into the kitchen, where Eddie was already taking off his dress coat, and pulled the casserole dish out of the oven. It had finished cooking about 15 minutes ago but he left it in there to stay warm. 

“You expect me not to treat you like a housewife and yet you’re cooking for me like this?” Eddie chuckled, looking into the dish with excited eyes. His mother never let him eat this kind of food when he was younger so Richie liked to treat him when he could. He planted a firm kiss on Richie's shoulder, stretching up onto his toes to reach comfortably. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“Nothing good, probably,” Richie replied with a snort, intending for it to sound like a joke, but Eddie’s face fell at that.

“Wait. What is that supposed to mean?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Hm?” Richie asked, looking up from where he was starting to plate the food.

“What do you mean _nothing good_?” Eddie insisted, frowning and crossing his arms.

“Ah Nothing. It’s just I’m not as good a catch as you, that’s all,” Richie replied, still with his laughing tone. He was really hoping Eddie would buy it as a joke, but of course he didn’t. He’s too smart for that.

“Rich that’s the biggest fucking lie I’ve ever heard!” Eddie huffed, coming over and standing next to him with his arms crossed. “What’s wrong with you? Where’s your big mouth tonight?”

“On your dick if yo-“

“Richie stop!” Eddie exclaimed, grabbing both of Richie’s arms and forcing him to turn around and look at him. “I can tell something’s wrong. I always can.”

“…I know.”

“Spill it or you’ll be back on the couch again tonight and I’m keeping my _dick_ to myself,” Eddie insisted.

“It’s nothing, Eds,” Richie tried one last time, but as soon as he said it, Eddie turned around and was moving like he was about to leave the room. So he grabbed Eddie's wrist and pulled him back into a big hug. “Fine fine. I just get lonely when you’re gone and sometimes my mind runs away with itself. You deserve someone better than me, thats' all. It’s no big deal, love.”

“No big deal my ass. And don’t try to distract me with cute pet names!”

“Would you prefer Spagh-“

“Richie be serious. Do you really feel like you aren't good enough for me?" Eddie asked, frowning. He felt Richie's arms go slack around him so he was able to turn around in his embrace. "Richie?" 

"I..I don't know, Eds." Richie looked like he was in deep thought, his signature grin nowhere to be found as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. He was looking everywhere, avoiding Eddie's face. "You're putting me on the spot here." 

"Listen," Eddie sighed, reaching up and gents grasping Richie's chin so he was forced to look at him in the eyes. "I'm not going to say this a lot because usually _you're_ too busy telling _me_ how amazing you are, but here goes. You're strong, funny, talented, kind, outgoing, handsome, and the very best friend I've ever had. I've known you longer than I've known anyone. Do you really think I would marry you if I didn't know thats what I wanted? You're the most important person to me, Richie." 

Richie was silent for a moment before he finally sighed, squeezing his eyes shut since Eddie wasn't letting him look away.

"_What if I don't see it?_" he muttered, nearly breaking Eddie's heart with just that phrase. 

"Open your damn eyes, Rich." 

He did, his eyes looking oddly watery. 

"If you can't see it, then I'm just going to have to show you more often," Eddie said with a smile. It was the kind of smile that made Richie melt into his touch. 

"Well...show me in a few minutes after we eat dinner," Richie said, deflecting immediately. "I worked hard on this chicken and I don't want it wasted." 

"I love you, ok asshole?" Eddie was smiling as he shook his head lightly. He was used to Richie immediately moving to make jokes, even at times when Eddie was doing his best to be serious. "Even when you can't see it."


	13. "I never knew it could be this way."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie is in college and his new classmate is openly gay.
> 
> Eddie isn't even actually in this.
> 
> Alternate title: I made myself sad
> 
> It's the 13th! I'm posting day 13 ACTUALLY ON THE 13TH! I've caught up! Finally!

"_I never knew it could be this way._"

//

He loved parties. It was a great opportunity to use his hilarious material on new people and go around making people laugh while drinking as much alcohol as he wanted. It was great! Until he inevitably got too drunk and some girl tried to take him back to her room. 

He actually went home with one of the girls once, but it was literally less satisfying than if he had just gone home and yanked one out alone. He couldn't stop wishing it was someone else. But of course he would never openly admit that. He could barely admit it to himself. 

"What's got you locked in your mind tonight, Richie?" an annoyingly high pitched voice spoke out. Lauren, a girl from his bio class, seemed to be the one hoping to get the infamous Richie Tozier in her bed tonight. Fat chance. The music was booming so she had to speak loudly to get his attention. 

"Nothing much. I just can't stop thinking about Mrs. Halbright," he responds without missing a beat. "Yowza!"

"Mrs. Halbright, the lit professor? She's got to be 85," Lauren giggled. It sounded like such a fake little giggle, meant to be flirtatious, but Richie had to hold back an annoyed groan. She was not doing it for him. He swallowed another mouthful of whatever cheap beer the party host could afford and glanced around the room, trying to find a reason to escape as Lauren slowly crept closer and closer. 

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded. "Just my type." 

"Richie...why don't we-"

"Hey! Who's that?" he asked, pointing over at someone he'd never seen at any of these little get togethers. He was blonde and wearing a varsity jacket. He didn't seem like the type to play sports though. Much too small for football.

"Oh that's just Damien," Lauren said dismissively. 

"Is he new to the football team?" Richie asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. 

"Oh god no!" she laughed, her shoulder's shaking enough to spill some of the beer out of her cup. "He's just wearing Brad's jacket. They started dating a few days ago." 

"_Dating_?" Richie exclaimed, nearly dropping his cup. "They're dating?" 

"Yeah? Is there something wrong with that?" Lauren asked, almost sounding offended. But Richie didn't feel like responding. He just watched as Brad, the starter quarterback for their school's football team, walked in with a smile and threw his arm around Damien's shoulders, wrapping his other arm around Damien's waist. 

Richie was shocked. He'd never seen someone so comfortable and happy to be with someone of the same sex like this. He suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe, like he was having some sort of asthma attack. So he stumbled out of the room, putting his unfinished beer down on the counter before going outside into the cold, brisk air. He thought he heard Lauren call after him, but he didn't care. 

All he could think was dark hair, soft hands, and fiery eyes. 

Richie shoved his hands into his coat, trying to get the images out of his mind. He couldn't even remember who he was thinking about, but he could feel it. An intense longing that he couldn't ever give in to. He couldn't. But here... 

"Hey," a voice muttered quietly next to him, jolting Richie out of his thoughts. He turned and saw that it was Damien, the varsity jacket pulled tightly around his shoulders. "Hey. Are you ok?" 

"I...I'm fine," Richie managed to mumble, looking back down. "Needed some air. I drank too much." 

"Are you sure? You seem troubled." 

"The girls are coming on strong tonight," Richie chuckled, trying to deflect by making another joke. It didn't land.

"Yeah, girls, right?" Damien laughed anyways, still watching Richie's reactions carefully with a gentle smile. "I'm Damien. Brad brought me." 

"Ha, yeah I've heard. I'm Richie, comedy expert and king of _your mom_ jokes," he replied, reaching over to shake Damien's hand. Damien's hand was soft, but Richie had held softer. A voice he couldn't place echoed in his mind.

_"I fucked your mom."_

"You didn't seem very interested in that girl back there," Damien suddenly said. 

"Oh, Lauren?" Richie asked, laughing. "She's not really my type. Too much of a partier." She's doesn't actually laugh at my jokes. She puts up with his bullshit without arguing. She's not...clean enough. _What a weird thing to think about..._

"What is your type, Richie?" Damien asked. He had an odd sort of knowing look in his eyes, though. Richie just sighed, running a hand through his wild hair.

"Why are you out here, Damien?" he asked. 

"I recognized your expression, is all," Damien shrugged. "Everyone like me has made that face before." 

"Like you? What do you-"

"Richie, don't get defensive, ok?" the man continued, reaching out suddenly and putting a gentle hand on Richie's shoulder. "I made that face the first time I saw a man show affection for another man. I came from a small town in rural South Carolina so people weren't really friendly towards people like me." 

"People in jackets that don't fit?" Richie asked, trying again to make another joke. 

"You're getting defensive," Damien chuckled. "Seriously Richie. You've never seen two gay men together, have you? Especially in public like this." 

As soon as Damien said the word _gay_, Richie went rigid, his jaw clenching tightly. He'd never heard the word out loud said in such a nonchalant way. He could hear violent yelling in his head, horrible slurs and hurtful screaming. The hate. They hated him. 

"_I never knew it could be this way._" 

"Yeah. When you leave town for the first time, the world becomes a lot bigger, huh?" Damien smiled kindly. Richie didn't even know when he'd started tearing up. "Who was it? In your old town?" 

"...I can't remember."


	14. "I can't come back."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie goes to a summer camp the summer before they're supposed to go to college and he calls Richie. 
> 
> Another one to make me sad. I'm gonna make myself cry.

"_I can't come back._"

//

"Spaghetti man!" Richie called into the phone receiver, joy spilling out over his voice despite his attempt to remain calm.

"Hey Rich," Eddie's soft voice replied from the phone. 

"What's up at that fancy college camp?" 

"My mom yelled at me yesterday," Eddie said, chuckling lightly. "I told her I wasn't going to call her today because I wanted to call someone else and she had a fit."

"What I wouldn't give to have heard that!" Richie laughed loudly, leaning back on his bed. He'd always thought Sonia was an overbearing bitch, but even though Eddie had tried to make her realize what she was doing was wrong, he still loved her. Eddie acted tough and angry, but he was still soft on the inside for all of those years his mother had coddled him. 

"She'll get over it," Eddie said, and Richie swore he could hear the shrug in his voice. "I hadn't talked to you in ages and she calls every night."

"Has your roommate mellowed out?" Richie asked, remembering the last phone call they had had. Eddie was complaining endlessly and loudly about how annoying his roommate was. He didn't like talking and he was too quiet and he went to bed too early and they had nothing in common. Eddie did _not_ like his roommate. 

"No, I've given up on him," Eddie sighs into the phone. "He's boring." 

"Boring?" Richie asked, a slight chuckle in his voice as he kicked his feet off the edge of the bed. "Sounds like you miss some good ol' fashion Tozier antics!" 

"Ha! Never!" Eddie snorted. "I just don't have anyone better to complain to." 

"Don't want to complain to mommy?" Richie cooed, making a few kiss noises. 

"Jeez. Don't make me regret calling you, asshole!" But Eddie was laughing, Richie's favorite sound in the world. 

"Hey, Eds-"

"Don't call me that!" Eddie interrupted, but Richie continued on without breaking a sweat.

"When are you coming back?" he asked. 

The line went silent for awhile, so much so that Richie almost thought Eddie had hung up on him. It worried him, but then Eddie finally spoke up. It wasn't what he wanted to hear.

_"I can't come back."_

"Wait what?" Richie exclaimed, bolting straight up in his bed. "What do you mean you can't come back?"

"Richie don't be mad," he heard Eddie sigh, and if he closed his eyes then he could almost imagine that Eddie was right there, sighing next to him. But he wasn't. "They like my work. They've offered me a work study program and a full ride scholarship but I have to stay to do the work." 

"...Eddie," Richie muttered, his free hand twisting tightly in his bed sheet. He didn't know what to say. He knew that college was coming and they would all be gone soon, going on their separate paths. But he thought that he and Eddie would at least have a little more time. Now...it seems their time had run out without him even knowing it.

"Rich, say something else please," Eddie's voice sounded out of the phone.

"I'm proud of you, Eds," Richie finally said, hiding the breathiness of his voice as best as he could. He wasn't sure it worked. "You got out of this shithole town first. I'm next!" 

"Rich..."

"No seriously! It's great! How did Mama K respond?" Richie asked, visibly shaking. He was glad he was alone because he could force his voice steady, but his face was betraying everything he was feeling.

"She freaked out and she says she's moving up here to live in town with me," Eddie said quietly. He didn't sound very happy about it. "I just...I wanted to be the one to tell you." 

"Thanks, Spaghetti head! I doubt Mrs. K would tell me anyways so I probably would'a just been here wondering about it for years," Richie laughed. He ignored the tears that were starting to fall down his cheeks as he realized the truth. He wasn't going to get to see Eddie anytime soon. 

"Richie, I-"

Eddie's voice cut off suddenly and Richie could hear some unfamiliar voice, but he couldn't make out the words. He swallowed roughly, knowing what was coming. It was the same thing that always happened when Eddie called him. But not now...it's too soon.

"Rich, they're telling me my time is up," Eddie's voice came back on the phone. "It's the next kid's turn." 

"....alright." 

"I'll call you soon?" Eddie phrased it as a question but they both knew the answer. Richie would never turn down a phone call from Eddie.

"Of course, Eddie!" he replied quickly. "I'll be here."

"Ok...talk to you soon!" 

The line was silent for a second and then all Richie could hear was the dial tone before he threw the phone on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was right, I made myself cry.


	15. "That's what I'm talking about!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie and Eddie are playing street fighter and Eddie wants to win. 
> 
> REALLY short mostly because I had this adorable idea but I know hardly anything about how the Street Fighter works...but Eddie is so CUTE.

_”That’s what I’m talking about!”_

//

“I can’t do it! You’ve been playing for too long! It’s not fair!” Eddie huffed, giving a swift kick to the machine. 

“Hey quit it!” Richie replied, rubbing the machine where it was wounded. “It’s not unfair, it’s just my unbridled talent.” 

“Yeah, whatever. Pushing some buttons. That’s a lot of talent, Rich,” Eddie rolled his eyes. 

“You’re just jealous, my dear Eds!” Richie laughed, throwing an arm around Eddie’s shoulder and pinching his cheek.

“God, get off of me, Richie!” Eddie exclaimed, attempting to push Richie off of him. But he really wasn’t using much strength. “Come on, let’s go again.”

“Already, Spaghetti man? Ready for another defeat from me and the great Ken Masters?” Richie beamed, releasing his hold on Eddie and lining up to play another round. 

“Why can’t I be Ken? Maybe that’s why you’re winning,” Eddie reasoned, popping a token into the machine and listening to it tinker down into the inner workings of the game machine. 

“I’m always Ken, my good sir!” 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let’s just do this.” 

They focused, staring at the screen, and began at the same time, jamming the buttons down at fast as they could. Eddie spares the smallest glance over at Richie. He’s really only pushing random buttons so he didn't feel the need to keep his eyes glued to the screen 100% anymore. The game was fucking rigged anyways. So he opts to see Richie’s face for a second instead. He had a soft smile on his face, his eyes focused and full of determination behind his normal, thick glasses. Richie risked letting his left hand off of the game, using his pointer finger to shove his glasses back up his nose. Normally you couldn't get him to stop talking, but when he's playing games, he complains if someone interrupts him, so it's the only time you get to see Richie silent. Eddie realized he was staring and quickly turned back to the game. 

And what he saw when his eyes landed on the game, shocked him. The words KO flashed across the screen, and then...Eddie won. By some weird streak of dumb luck and random button pushing that Eddie was sure he would never be able to replicate...he won. 

“I won?” he questioned, eyes wide at the screen. 

“You won!” Richie exclaimed. Eddie had expected him to be upset that his perfect record had been beat, but he clearly wasn’t. He had a huge grin on his face and he had both of his hands above his head in celebration. 

“I won!” Eddie repeated, not a question this time. He knew it was just luck but that didn’t stop him from wanting to rub it in Richie’s face. But as soon as he saw how excited Richie was for him, all of that melted away. He just felt...happy. 

“_That’s what I’m talking about!_” Richie cheered, throwing both of his arms around Eddie’s shoulders again, but pulling him into a full hug this time. It wasn't like his normal _funny_ hugs. It was warm. Eddie found himself laughing as Richie picked him up off his feet, swinging him around slightly. 

“Richie! Put me down!” he giggled. Yes. He actually _giggled_. 

“Hey!” a sudden loud voice calls out from behind them. Their celebration was cut short, Richie dropping Eddie back to the floor but still holding him to his chest. It was just a kid, about 9, that Richie had seen in the arcade before. “Are you guys gonna play again or can I go?” 

Eddie shoved Richie’s chest hard, pushing him away and ducking his face down to try and hide how red he was at the moment. He somehow had forgotten they were in a public place and for a second there, he wished they weren’t in a public place.   
“You can play!” he sputtered quickly, backing away from the machine like it was on fire. “I-I gotta go! I’ll talk to you later, Rich!” 

Eddie didn’t wait to hear Richie’s goodbye as he rushed out the door, willing his ridiculous blush to go away. But he made a solemn vow _never_ to play Street Fighter with Richie again, that way he could always hold it over his head that he beat him the last time they played. Dumb luck be damned.


	16. “Listen. No, really listen.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie finally finds a way to make Richie stop talking and listen for once. 
> 
> Pretty sure I already wrote one like this but hey....it’s fine whatever it’s cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is slightly late! And I had to write it on my phone during break so there might be mistakes....

_”Listen. No, really listen.”_

//

Everyone that knew the losers, knew about Richie. He was very hard to miss due to the fact that he never stopped talking. By their senior year, teachers hated to see his name on their rosters, accepting early on that he’d be sent out into the hall for disrupting multiple times a week. He earned the nickname Trashmouth, one because he couldn’t go two sentences without cursing, and two because he was an endless faucet of speech. 

At school, in the store, at his friends house, even at the movies. 

His friends would tell you it’s because he doesn’t get enough attention at home so he’s constantly seeking attention elsewhere, but nobody ever cared to ask. They just told him to shut up, at which point he would just grin widely. Mission accomplished. He was noticed.  
That’s when the losers coined the _BEEP BEEP_ technique. 

If a loser _BEEPed_ Richie, it meant he had gone too far or was saying too much. But it didn’t ever get him to stop talking. It just made him switch topics.

There was only one person that could make Richie stop talking completely. 

And that was Eddie. 

“It’s incredible really! The movie really didn’t do the comic justice. It was a total cop out!”

A rant. A tirade. An endless parade of useless information. Richie was at it again. Unfortunately Eddie was the only one present in the clubhouse, curled up on the other side of the hammock which was also occupied by Richie. 

Eddie had gotten to it first this time around so when Richie appeared down the ladder and acted as though he was going to land a jump on Eddie. The smaller immediately curled up in a ball to avoid being squished. They really didn’t fit in the hammock together anymore, but nobody ever commented on it, and miraculously, the hammock always held strong. 

But since they were alone in the clubhouse today, it left Eddie alone to deal with Richie’s current obsession. Talking about movies Eddie didn’t care about in explicit detail. 

“The comic was also a lot gorier! It’s like they were afraid to go that hard for a movie when they obviously should’ve gone even harder than the comics!”

“Richie...” Eddie sighed, pressing a finger to his temple. He’d had a splitting headache that morning but didn’t want to take any medicine. Ever since he’d found out that his mom had been poisoning him with lies, he had an aversion to taking any pills from anyone, especially her. But Richie’s rambles weren’t helping his head at all. 

“No I’m serious, Eds! I think you’d like the comic once you got past the blood thing.”

“Richie!”

“It’s got a hardcore mystery at its core and I know you like thinks that can make you think, right? Right!” 

_”Listen. No, really listen.”_

“But seriously the movie cut out an entire character’s subplot arc!” 

Nothing was working and Eddie felt like he was about to explode. His ears were ringing with how much his head was hurting. He stared over at Richie, a firm glare furrowing his eyebrows, and suddenly he had a thought that made his cheeks light up red. 

Richie’s trashmouth can’t talk if it’s busy doing something else...

Eddie glanced around nervously, tuning Richie out as he thought to himself if there was any other options but Richie didn’t seem to be letting up. 

“Richie...?” Eddie tried one more time, to no avail. Although he probably could’ve tried harder if he really wanted....

So Eddie took out his inhaler, pressed the medicine into his mouth, and breathed deep, staring at the boy across from him. Then, he dove forward, faster than Richie was used to, and slammed his mouth onto his best friend’s lips. 

Richie swallowed his comic book words in an instant, eyes wide with surprise. He wanted to question Eddie, but he also didn’t want Eddie’s lips to disappear. 

It was weirdly rough at first, since Eddie wasn’t sure this was a good plan, but as soon as Richie caught up to what was going on, he buried his hands in the back of Eddie’s hair, his comic discarded on the dirt floor without a thought. Eddie found himself melting into the touch and relaxing into Richie’s lips. It was still soft and experimental, but they both found themselves feeling very comfortable, Eddie leaning over Richie while the hammock slowly swung back and forth beneath them.  
Finally, Eddie pulled back and sprayed another bout of medicine into his mouth before turning to look down at his flushed best friend’s face. 

“Now, will you _shut up_ for a minute, trashmouth?” he asked, still breathing heavily. 

“Absolutely anything for you, Eds,” Richie grinned, eyes half lidded contently. Eddie just rolled his eyes at the nickname. “Anything at all! You name it, it’s yours. Fuck, if you want, I’ll even take off my-“

“Beep beep, Richie!”


	17. "There is just something about them."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bev makes Richie talk about his crush even though she already knows who it is.
> 
> Sorry for the delay! I was busy yesterday going to a corn maze and going to see Chapter 2 again with my friend....we cosplayed Reddie. It was great!

_"There is just something about them."_

//

The two of them were peas in a pod, Richie and Beverly. Both neglected in different ways, resulting in a shared nicotine addiction. They often found themselves behind their high school, leaning against the building and sharing a pack. The other losers avoided them at these times, since they didn't appreciate that much second hand smoke, so Rich and Bev tended to use these opportunities to be each other's therapists. 

Beverly would never tell Ben the things she tells Richie during their cigarette therapy sessions. Things about her father. Things that It showed her. Things that she saw in the deadlights. Likewise, Richie told her about his parents. Things his father said to him. Things his mother ignored. But there was one thing he never told her about. There was a solemn vow between them never to speak of the things they learned about each other if they weren't against the wall at school, but he still couldn't bring himself to tell her _that_.

"Rich," Beverly sighed one day, a pillar of smoke bellowing from her nose. "You never date anyone."

"Oh, Bevvie my love," Richie crooned, leaning his head over onto her shoulder. "Have you finally fallen for me, dear?" 

"God Rich," she laughed, shoving him in the side so his head fell off of her. "No! I was just wondering why that is, ya know? You know why I don't." 

"Yeah, I sure do," Richie nodded, taking the last drag of his cigarette before dropping it and pulling another fresh one out of the pack. "I don't know, Bev. Never really thought about it. Never really got the chance. Never really cared." 

It was a lie and she could tell. And he could tell that she could tell.

"Sarah in my bio class was talking to her friends yesterday and I heard her say she's interested," Beverly continued. "You should talk to her." 

"Sarah..? Is that the same one on the soccer team?" Richie asked, sucking on the new light and breathing deep. He tried his best to sound interested, but he couldn't force it into his voice. 

"Yeah that's her," Bev nodded. 

"Oh...well she's nice," is all he could say. She definitely wasn't his type.

"Spill it, Rich." Her eyes were calculating, reading almost everything in his eyes. There was something she couldn't quite reach. "Who do you like?" 

"I like you, my lovely Beverly," he smiled, flicking her cheek lovingly. 

"I'm serious," she smiled back, tapping the cigarette in her fingers so the ashes would fall to the floor. "Talk to me. You can't hide anything from me." 

"Fine," he sighed, his smile faltering slightly but remaining in place. "I'll bite. _If_ I was interested in someone, they would be loud. If they aren't loud then they'd never be able to speak over me, ya know. And they'd be fun to talk to, because I talk so much. It would have to be someone I have fun talking to. We could go to the movies or go to the arcade, so they'd have to like fun things. I get lonely, so they'd have to come around a lot. My house is empty, and I don't think they like their house- I mean I think this fictional person would like my house."

He stopped for a second to clear his throat, and then continued. 

"I like cooking, but cooking for one is boring so I'd make them some dinner no matter what kind of allergies they have. If they want, I'd let them paint my nails because they would be really neat and detailed. They'd like cleaning because I don't clean enough so they could clean me up. Try and make a gentleman out of me. I bet he could do that." 

He faltered again, this time his smile falling off of his face in a second flat. He'd slipped up in his wording, which is exactly what Beverly wanted. She'd known, and he'd known that she had known. But saying it would make it real and he wasn't sure he wanted it to be real. It hurt to much and he always ignored the things that hurt. 

"Richie, babe," she smiled again, relighting his cigarette that had gone out. "Keep going."

"_There is just something about them._" Richie had reverted back to saying _them_ instead of _him_, but at least he was still talking. That's all Beverly could ask for. "They don't let me push them around and....and that's why I do it so much. They make me laugh even when they don't mean to. They make me cry without knowing because I don't tell anyone." 

Richie felt a hand slip into his own, squeezing gently. Beverly looked like a million bucks standing next to him, a half smile on her face and a halo of light around her bright hair. He loved her so much. All of the losers did. But not in the same way he loved...

"You should tell him," she said softly. Richie shut his eyes tightly, dropping his cigarette and stomping it out before releasing her hand. Then, he pushed off of the wall, kicking at the ground before turning around to face her with another one of his wild grins. 

"You should charge by the hour, my Belovely!" he laughed. "I'll see you later!" 

And then he walked away back to the front of the building, leaving her alone to shake her head. She waited about 7 minutes and heard the side door open. She dropped her cigarette instantly, putting it out and waving the left over smoke away. She heard the shake and spray of an inhaler anyways. 

"Hey, Bevvy!" the newcomer called out, waving to her. "Can I talk to you about Richie again? I'm getting pretty frustrated." 

"Of course, hun," she smiled at him. "I'm here for you."


	18. "Secrets? I love secrets."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mama Kaspbrak is nosy as fuck. Also there's a random Stan scene in here that wasn't necessary but I wanted to write it because I don't get to write him enough and I love him. 
> 
> Wrote this one on my phone so it might be messy again! Also I'm angry! This one shot makes me ANGRY.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is late....WHOOPS!

_"Secrets? I love secrets."_

//

Eddie Kaspbrak started keeping a diary when his father died. He had a whole collection of his old diaries in a box in his closet but he always kept his current one in a locked drawer of his writing desk. At first it was just a place to put down thoughts, as suggested by a grief counselor, but eventually it became his only friend. He couldn't talk to his mommy about some things. She would go crazy. Well, crazier than she already was. So that's why he hid it so well. A book full of thoughts he kept away from his mom? Yeah, there's no way he would let her find it. 

But when he was in middle school, Stanley saw him writing in it. His mommy had always liked Stanley the best out of his friends and would let him come right up to his room. She much preferred Stanley to the _horrid Tozier boy_.

Stan had opened the door with a normal greeting only to see Eddie throwing a book he’d been writing under the bed with excruciating force.

“Hey!” he squeaked out, turning to look at Stan in his chair and failing to sound as nonchalant as he intended.

“What was that? Are you ok?” Stan asked, ever curious and always concerned.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Eddie insisted, way too quickly. 

"Eddie, you're a lousy liar," Stan rolled his eyes. 

"Fine. It's...just a journal," Eddie sighed, standing up and flopping back on his bed. "It's not a diary though!" 

"It would be fine if it was a diary, but whatever. Writing is good for you. You shouldn't feel like you have to hide it. You should be proud of yourself for embracing writing as a healthy means to go through your day." 

"Oh, well thanks I guess. Wise man Stan strikes again," Eddie replied. 

"You sound like Richie," Stan snorted. 

"No I don't!" Eddie screeched, eyes wide and defensive. 

"Calm down, Eddie," Stanley said, raising his eyebrow questioningly. "It was a joke." 

"Oh...yeah ok. It's still not a diary though, ok?" 

Years later, he had to add another box to fill with more diaries in his closet and he continued to write daily, releasing his internal monologue. But the monologues got even deeper as he got older and none of it was anything that he wanted his mother to know. Secrets about his problems with bullies at school, the reasons he was avoiding her more and more, and his...desires. 

"Ma! I'm back from school!" He didn't wait for her response before bounding up the stairs towards the sanctuary of his room. He never did anymore. But when he got upstairs, he saw that his door was cracked open, which made him falter for a second. And when he pushed the door open and saw his sacred, locked drawer left wide open, he knew what had happened. 

He about faced and raced for his mothers room, which was right next door to his. She used to claim it was because she loved him too much for him to be too far away, but he knew now that it was she could hear into his room if she wanted to. 

He walked up to her door, knocked once, and pushed it open. What he saw made him see red almost immediately, but that quickly melted away and instead, he was scared. He was that same scared little boy that lived in his mommy's shadow for so many years. She was sitting in her favorite arm chair, eyes red and face blotchy, his current diary cracked open on her knees as she turned to look at him. 

"E-Eddie..." she croaked, wiping the back of her hand across her cheeks to rid the evidence of tear tracks. "Eddie baby, you're home!" 

"Ma, that's mine," he managed to say, but his voice sounded so small. He stepped forward one step and held out his hand, but she shook her head, so he tried again, more forceful. "Ma! That's mine! Give it back, please! It's not for you, it's secrets." 

"_Secrets? I love secrets._" Her voice sounded broken, devoid of emotion, which always scared Eddie. Her emotions were like a switch she could flip, and when he realized that and learned the term _mental manipulation_ in health class, he wrote it down in his diary. Thankfully not the one she was reading, but he knew that his current diary was filled with something else he really didn't want her to know. 

"Please," he whispered, stepping forward once again. 

"Eddie dear," his mother said, standing up on her wobbly legs. She had trouble walking on her own these days, but she had managed to do it just fine enough to get into his room so he didn't bother offering her any help right now. "Eddie, is this true? Is this true or are these stories? Do you really have these disgusting feelings fo-"

"Stop! Stop, Ma!" he said loudly, lunging forward and scrambling for the book in her tight fingers. She dodged him with a speed he hadn't seen her use in years, the book sliding out of his reach. 

"Eddie you tell me that these books are lies!" she screamed at him, ferocious and violent. "Eddie tell me these are just filthy lies! It's that _horrid Tozier boy's_ fault! He did this to you!"

"He didn't do anything, Ma! Please, give it back!" Eddie was getting hysterical now, starting to shake. He knew what she had read. He knew what his most recent diary was filled with and he knew she didn't like it. 

"How long have you been keeping dirty secrets from your mommy?" she asked, her voice dripping with a sickly sugary sweetness, trying to goad him into talking to her. To bending to her will. More mental manipulation. 

"Ma, I'm begging you to stop," he tried again, reaching out weakly for the book. This was the wrong response. 

She pulled away from him, wobbling towards the window in her room, and wrenched the window open. Before Eddie could stop her, she tossed the diary out the window and they watched as it sailed through the air before landing out in front of the lawn. Eddie reacted instantly once it landed, whipping around to run for the door, but he didn't get far when he felt his mother's meaty hands grasp his wrist. 

"Eddie, don't go!" she screeched. "Eddie he tainted your mind. You don't need him! Come with me! We'll go to a doctor. We'll get you fixed just like mommy fixes everything for you! Mommy will take care of this for you!" 

Eddie felt sick to his stomach. More doctors, just like his mother always wanted for him.

"...n-no." 

"What Eddie bear?" she asked, as his voice had been pitifully small. 

"I said _no_!" Eddie finally screamed, ripping his hand out of his mother. She looked shocked, reeling back at his sudden outburst. Eddie had been avoiding her lately, but he'd never yelled back at her until now. 

"Eddie!" she gasped, grasping for her heart. 

"I don't need more doctors! I don't need _fixing_!" 

With that, he turned around, raced down the stairs, and out the door. He dove for his diary, scooping it up and pulling it close to him. He kneeled in the grass, opening the book to it's first page. He knew what was on the first page because he looked at it often. 

It was a doodle of a heart. With an R in the middle.

"Yeah. I don't need fixing," he smiled at the page, running a thumb over the edge of the heart.


	19. "Yes, I admit it, you were right."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan was right. 
> 
> Y'all, I love me some Stanley. I've been writing him a lot so this is literally a whole thing about Stan and is reactions to Reddie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip. At some point I'll be back on track. I wrote this at like 2am so it's kinda sloppy but I just love Stan.

_"Yes, I admit it, you were right."_

//

Stan's hobby was bird watching. This takes patience, skill, and a lot of observation. Because of this, he is probably the most observant person in their friend group, the losers club. He knew a lot about the others that they weren't ready to talk about openly, but he didn't want to meddle or make them do things they weren't ready to do themselves. Instead, he was just there to watch and help when needed. 

For example, he knew all about the secret love triangle of the losers. They didn't even know they were part of a love triangle! But he saw the way Ben looked at Bev and the way Bev looked at Bill. He thought that Beverly liked spending time with Ben more, so he wondered why she kept looking at Bill. They didn't seem to have as much in common. He also watched Mike. Mike couldn't turn a corner without checking first to make sure nobody was there. And when he passed in front of an alley, he would pick up speed briefly to get by faster. Even in stores and restaurants, he always had his eyes on an exit. Yeah, Stan knew that Mike had some problems that had been ingrained in him. They weren't going away any time soon.

Probably the easiest thing to figure out that he had ever observed from the losers club, was Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak. To an untrained eye, Eddie hated when Richie bothered him, making constant jokes and picking on him. And Richie picked on everyone, so Eddie wasn't anything special to him. But to an observant person like Stan, he could see the smiles that Eddie gave when Richie wasn't watching and the way that Eddie practically begged for attention from Richie. He could see how often Eddie was the butt of Richie's jokes and he talked about Eddie's mom a lot more than anyone else's. Not to mention he wasn't quite as grabby 

And Stan would just roll his eyes, because nobody else seemed to be able to see it but him. He didn't want to meddle though. Even the most inexperienced bird watcher knows that once you've spotted a bird, you can't move towards it or else it will fly away. So he watched and waited for his opportunity to help his best friends. 

Finally, the opportunity came when he was 17 and down in the clubhouse with Beverly and Mike. Nobody else had arrived yet, but everyone was due to show up soon. Mike had been there when Stan arrived and Beverly was only a few minutes after that. She sat down right in the middle of the floor, tugging her shower cap over her curls gently. 

"Hey, my boys!" she smiled. Stan looked up from his homework and gave her one of his gentle, closed smiles. 

"Beverly, what's up?" Mike asked. He was laying back in the hammock for once, as it was usually occupied by two others. 

"I have a question for you guys," she said, crossing her legs and rocking slightly. "It's about the dance coming up."

"What about it, Bevvy?" Mike asked again. Stan closed his homework and instead propped his head up on his knuckles as he leaned over his legs. He wanted to fully observant now with no distractions, watching facial expressions and learning how to read them.

"Well, Richie asked me to go with him," she said, frowning. "I'm not sure why since we all usually go together as a group." 

"That is weird," Mike noted. Stan however was taking mental notes. Richie had never once given him any reason to think he'd be interested in Beverly. After a few seconds of thinking, he realized what it probably was.

"It's because of Bowers," he sighed, running his hand through his curls. "He's been messing with Richie again." 

"He wants me to go to the dance with him...because of Bowers?" she asked, clearly confused. 

"Yeah, he's been calling him...you know.." Stan didn't want to use the words that Bowers did. They were hurtful, horrible words. But everyone in the room knew what he was talking about once he said it. 

"So he wants to prove himself to everyone by dancing with me? Why does it matter? He isn't gay, is he?" Bev asked, not that she really minded. She was just curious. 

Stan didn't reply, pursing his lips and glancing away instead. He didn't want to say anything, but if they read his body language right...

"Wait, is he?" Beverly asked, leaning forward with intrigue. "Stan!" 

"It's not really my place to talk about it." 

"Stanley, if you have inside information, spill it!" Mike was leaning forward in the hammock now, eyes wide with questions. Stan knew both of them wouldn't care either way, but he still felt bad telling them what he observed so frequently. Even though he found it painfully obvious at times. 

"Well, have you seen the way he acts towards...a certain someone in our friend group?" he began, trying to let them come to their own conclusions. 

"Rich messes with everyone though," Mike muttered, tapping his own temple thoughtfully. 

"Ok, look," Stan sighed, opening his homework again so he could avoid looking at their faces now. "I pay attention, ok? So I pick up on some things. And one of those things is that Richie pays particular attention to someone. In fact, I'm willing to put my money on it that he'll arrive today with that someone and they'll be flirting in their own special way like they always do. Which is yelling. Just _pay attention_ and you'll see it." 

"What do you-"

Beverly was cut off suddenly, as they could hear footsteps coming their way. And then shouting. Lots of shouting. Stan looked up at Beverly from his notebook, raising an eyebrow and smirking. 

"Told you," he said. 

Then, there was Richie's foot on the ladder, clambering down clumsily. He got to the middle of the ladder before dropping himself down the rest of the way. Next was Eddie, wearing pants for once instead of his usual shorts. This seemed to be the cause of their argument. 

"I'm just saying, Eds," Richie shrugged. "Covering that much skin on your legs is a sin! Go back to your shorty shorts! They suit your tiny legs better!" 

"My legs aren't here for you to oggle at, asshole!" Eddie yelled back, his words pushed together because he was talking so fast. "And don't fucking call me that. I swear..."

"Sorry Eddie! I forgot you don't like that...I was too distracted by the lack of skin-"

"Shut up, Richie! Wait...what's wrong with you guys?" Eddie stopped talking once he realized Mike and Beverly were staring at them, eyes wide and mouths gaping open. 

"Mhm," Stan hummed happily, bringing his pencil back to his notebook and starting to write whatever equation was needed for his current math question. 

"_Yes, I admit it, you were right._" It was Mike who spoke to Stan first, nodding profusely. 

"What the fuck are you guys talking about?" Eddie asked, eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms. 

"Nothing, hun," Beverly chuckled, shaking her head and standing up. She went over to sit next to Stan, elbowing him in the side and lowering her voice so only he could hear her. "So, what else do you observe, Uris?" 

"No way," he replied, shoving her playfully. "Some things you have to figure out on your own. Just like those two have to figure things out on their own." 

He gestured over to where Richie was hanging onto Eddie's arm, grinning like a mad man as Eddie tried to kick him.

"Richie! Stop touching me!"

"I can't! You're just so cute!" 

"Yeah," Bev smiled affectionately. "They'll figure it out."


	20. "You could talk about it, you know?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Eddie's 18th birthday and for once, Richie wants Eddie to talk to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SOFT

_"You could talk about it, you know?"_

//

"I can't believe you, Eddie! You don't want to spend your 18th birthday with me? I've been here for you your whole life and you'd rather spend your birthday with-"

"Yes. I'd rather spend my birthday with my friends, ma," Eddie sighed, for what felt like the 20th time in the past hour. She would not leave him alone about it, trying to guilt him into staying. But Richie was throwing a party for him since his parents were out of town and they would have the house to themselves. Eddie couldn't turn that down and he didn't want to in the least. 

"I feel like you're turning away from your own mother, Eddie," she huffed, her voice thick like she was trying to coat herself in pity. "I can make you your favorite dinner, baby. I can go rent your favorite movie. Eddie, we can do whatever you want!" 

"I want to go have fun," he said pointedly. 

"You'll get hurt. I know you will. They could never love you like I do, Eddie. They'll hurt you!" 

"Ma! I'm 18! I know how to take care of myself!" He was screaming now, filled with the anger he'd been holding in. He'd yelled at her once before when he was 16, but he really didn't want to do it again today of all days. He wanted today to be happy and fun. And nothing made him happier than spending time with Richie. And his other friends. All of his friends! Not just Richie! 

Eddie sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He didn't want to think about that right now. The older he got, the more he realized he was thinking about Richie more than his other friends. He always shook it out of his head as quickly as he could, but he couldn't help thinking about him. 

"I'm going, Ma," he muttered. 

"Eddie!"

"I'm going!" 

And then he walked out the door, slamming it in the process. He knew she would be mad when he got back, but he didn't care about that at the moment. He just wanted to have a good night for his birthday, but she only cares about herself. At least his friends actually cared about him.

He arrived in front of Richie's. All of the lights were on downstairs and he could see shadows moving behind the shades. His friends. 

_"They'll hurt you!"_

He shoved her voice out of his head and walked up to the door, putting up his fist to knock on the door. Before he could, the door flung open. 

"Eds!" 

"Seriously, Rich? Don't call me that on my birthday." Despite of himself, Eddie felt warmth wash over him at the sight of Richie's ridiculously happy grin. He resisted the urge to smile, pushing his blush down.

"You know you love it," Richie laughed, reaching out and grabbing Eddie's wrist, pulling him into a tight hug in the front door. 

"Rich! Let the kid come into his own party!" The voice belonged to Beverly, who sauntered up behind them and shoved Richie away from Eddie. Eddie chuckled as she pulled him all the way into the house. In the front room, Mike and Bill were dancing to some sort of upbeat pop song, laughing to themselves as Stan and Ben sat on the sofa reading a magazine Ben had brought. 

"Party boy is here!" Richie called out, throwing an arm over Eddie's shoulders. Eddie just blushed, smiling as everyone jumped up and raced for him, creating a giant group hug around him. They were all laughing, cheering, even though Eddie was screaming for them to get off. But they could hear the smile in his voice. 

It was times like this in the past year that have really struck a chord with Eddie. They were all together, all happy. And all leaving. When they graduate, they'll all be going off to their different paths, leaving each other behind in the crossroads. Stan and Bill already had their plans. Mike was saying he would stay in Derry awhile longer to make enough money to travel. Bev and Ben were still waiting on acceptance letters from all of the places they applied to. Richie was...well being Richie and telling everyone he was going to the school of _Your Mom_ for a degree in _Sonia Kaspbrak_. 

Eddie, per request (or demand) of his mother, was going to a small college right near Derry and he knew nobody else would want to go to. Everyone was trying to get away from Derry, except he and Mike seemed to be stuck. Everyone else would be gone and he'd be spending the next few birthdays with his mother instead of in his friends embrace...

He wanted to hold on to a sliver of hope that Richie would want to go to college with him, but he knew he wouldn't. 

Eddie didn't want to think about this right now. He just wanted to dance. 

A few hours later, everyone else had left, leaving Richie and Eddie on his sofa watching a movie that Eddie wasn't even paying attention to. He couldn't help it. 

_"You'll get hurt."_

_"They could never love you like I do, Eddie."_

"Eds, what's up?" Richie's voice broke Eddie out of his thoughts. The movie was over, credits rolling across the screen, but Eddie had remained frozen, his legs pulled up to his chest. 

"What? What do you mean?" 

"You haven't moved an inch and it's almost 11:00," Richie shrugged, turning in his seat to face Eddie. His long, gangly legs were curled up under himself. "Usually you're itching to get home by now or you've fallen asleep because it's past your bedtime. So spill it!" 

"You're being uncharacteristically serious right now," Eddie huffed, crossing his arms. 

"Yeah? Well I'm seriously worried, ok, birthday boy?" Richie chuckled, poking Eddie's face gently. "Talk to me."

"I'm just getting old and it feels weird, that's all," Eddie lied. Richie frowned, narrowing his eyes behind his thick rimmed glasses. 

"_You could talk about it, you know?_" he said quietly, reaching forward and resting his hand on Eddie's knee. "I'll listen. Maybe I can even help."

Eddie felt hot suddenly where Richie was touching him, and he found himself wanting to tell him everything. Tell him about his fight with his mom. Tell him about his worries about leaving his friends to go to school. Tell him about his thoughts about Richie...

"...I don't want to go home tonight," is all Eddie said. 

"Ok, well you don't have to," Richie shrugged with a wide smile. "You're an adult now. Show up Mrs. K and stay over here for the night." 

"No, no. I should go home. She'd be mad if I don't," Eddie replied, shaking his head. 

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to now. Who cares if she's mad. She'll get over it and life goes on. Do something _you_ want to do for a change. Come on!" Richie pulled his hand off of Eddie's knee and then held it out, palm up. 

_"They could never love you..."_

"Richie..." 

"I promise. Whatever is bothering you, you can ignore it here. We can just eat the rest of your cake and watch another movie. I'll even call your mom so you don't have to." 

Eddie's heart could've melted at the expression on Richie's face. Sincerity was not something that Richie showed very often, but it was painted across him now. He must truly be worried. Eddie finally gave in, reaching out and taking Richie's hand. 

"Ok, but I don't want anyone to call. Just let her simmer in her worry and realize tomorrow that I'm still fine even without her." 

"Oh, the good old cold shoulder!" Richie smirked, pulling him off of the couch and towards the kitchen. "Living life on the edge, Eds. 18 looks good on you!" 

"You're stupid," Eddie said, but he was laughing. 

Yeah, his mom could wait. He wanted to spend the rest of his birthday with Richie, even if he didn't love him back.


	21. "Change is annoyingly difficult."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of "Listen" from day 16! 
> 
> Richie won't stop talking every time he and Eddie are alone. It seems he's become addicted to Eddie's way of making him stop. But for once, he wants Eddie to listen to him.

_"Change is annoyingly difficult."_

//

Richie never knew anything could feel as good as Eddie's lips. Once he got a taste about a week ago, it was like an addiction and he wanted more. Any time they were alone, he would gab on and on about anything he could think of. He knew that if he talked enough, Eddie would end up in his lap within minutes, shutting him up with his lips. It was like clock work! 

Unfortunately for Richie's poor heart, that's all it was. A lot of kissing and holding. They didn't ever talk about it afterwards, mainly because they would get interrupted by the other losers showing up or Eddie's mom knocking on the door and Eddie would leap away, red faced and using his inhaler to calm down. 

The first time they almost got caught was when Richie and Eddie were out by the quarry. He didn't think Eddie would want to go down there by themselves, mostly because he still had an aversion to the dirty water, but he seemed to make an exception when Richie said he wanted to hang out together. Richie was just itching to see Eddie in a swim suit again. The older he got and the longer he was off of those fake meds his mom had given him, the better looking Eddie's body was. 

Within 20 minutes of being in the water, Richie's mission was accomplished and Eddie was on him, skin on skin, to shut him up. It had been pure bliss for Richie for a good 30 seconds, his hands in Eddie's hair. And then...

"Oh hey! Rich is here!" 

Eddie dove under water so fast, swimming a good 7 feet away from him before coming up for air and Richie had never wanted to cuss Mike out so much. Eddie was sputtering, trying to get the dirty water out of his mouth but poor Richie's brain was reeling. Fucking Mike and Stan had the worst timing. 

The second time ended up being even worse. This time, Eddie had been going on and on complaining about something a bully had written on his locker, so Richie decided to give Eddie a taste of his own medicine. It had taken him a good few seconds to work up the courage, but when he did and he pushed himself across the bed to press his lips to Eddie's, Eddie gave in immediately. This gave Richie an insane surge of confidence and he pulled away after a minute, ready for his heartfelt confession...

"Richie babe! Your mom let me in!" Beverly's voice sounded right outside of his door. Eddie all but screamed, rolling out from under Richie and onto the floor just in time for Bev to slam the bedroom door open. Richie sighed, running a hand through his hair. The talk would have to wait...

Oh but Richie wanted to talk about it. He wanted to talk about it and solidify his feelings with Eddie once and for all. After all, they were both _clearly_ sending signals to each other. Richie knew why Eddie hadn't made time to talk about it though. 

If there ever was a person conditioned to be afraid of change, it was Eddie Kaspbrak. His mother had taught him that diverting from his normal routine would result in some sort of horrible injury or illness. Eddie did not like change. And if Richie spoke out loud what it was that he really wanted, a lot would change. 

"You're...awfully quiet today, Richie," Eddie suddenly muttered from his spot on the floor, pulling Richie from his thoughts. They were in the clubhouse alone again. It seemed to be a pivotal place for things to happen between them and Richie couldn't stop thinking from his seat in the hammock. 

It wasn't often Richie was quiet around Eddie anymore, and Eddie had noticed.

"Sorry, Eds," Richie chuckled. "What do you want to talk about?" 

"That's not my name," he sighed in response. "But I don't know. Usually you talk about stuff. You pick." 

Richie was at a crossroads. He knew what he wanted to talk about but he also knew Eddie wouldn't like it. After a few seconds, he decided to just go for it.

"So I guess you want me to do the talking for a reason right..?" he began, cautiously.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Eddie frowned, his eyebrows furrowed deeply. 

"I just...if I'm the one that starts talking, then you can shut me up, right?" Richie asked, raising an eyebrow with slight suggestion. The effect was instant and Eddie's face went bright red. 

"I-I don't...um....let's talk about something else," Eddie huffed, glancing away with a wide look in his eyes. 

"What if I don't want to talk about something else?" Richie inveighed, eyes narrowing. "We could, you know...talk about this a little more."

"Richie..."

"I'm serious for once! We should talk about it!" Richie hadn't meant to get this worked up over it so quickly, but seeing that Eddie really was going to avoid the conversation like the plague actually made a tinge of pain strike across his heart. 

"...what if I said there's nothing to talk about?" Eddie muttered. That hurt Richie even more and it must've shown on his face because Eddie immediately recoiled, cringing. "Rich, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it like that." 

"Eddie, I really need to tell you something," Richie said, leaning forward. "Like, really, really! So as much as I enjoy it, don't interrupt me this time!" 

"Can't we just, I don't know? Keep going like this?" Eddie asked, burying his face in his hands. 

"I know it's kinda scary, trust me." Richie abandoned his seat on the hammock in favor of crawling down and sitting next to Eddie on the floor with his feet tucked up under himself. "But this could be good, right? I mean, don't get me wrong. Kissing is great and all, but like, what about dinner dates? What about going to dances together? What about...putting a label on us?" 

While he was talking, Eddie slowly picked his head up and glanced through his fingers at Richie. His face was still red but his eyes were narrowed suspiciously. 

"I thought you didn't like labels," he whispered, pursing his lips.

"Well...I don't mind _some_ labels," Richie shrugged in response. "Like, I don't know..._yours_, maybe?" 

Eddie's eyes widened at that and Richie thought maybe he'd pushed it a little too far. But he couldn't be reading these signals wrong! Eddie had to reciprocate something that he was feeling! Eddie put his hands down and away from his face, opting instead to rest one on his knee and one on top of Richie's hand. 

"Richie..._Change is annoyingly difficult._" he sighed. "Things have been comfortable now, but if we change it, things get rocky and uncertain. What if something happens and then we aren't friends anymore?" 

"What if I don't want to be friends anymore?" Richie said sternly, putting himself directly in front of Eddie who ducked his head again. "What if I haven't wanted to be friends for months now?" 

Eddie's head shot up, mouth hanging open in shock as his hand tightened over top of Richie's. 

"You're going sappy in your old age, Rich," he finally said, his shocked expression not changing. "I just-"

"Eddie, I've had feelings for you for a long time, ok?" Richie exclaimed finally, surging forward and taking both of Eddie's hands into his. "And I think you have feelings for me too, right? Or has all of the making out really meant nothing to you? Because if it meant nothing, you wouldn't be so scared right now." 

"Jeez, I'm not scared, asshole," Eddie huffed, sounding more like himself now. The shock seemed to be wearing off. Even as a teenager, he always wanted to prove himself. That made Richie smirk, hearing Eddie's tone was back to normal. 

"Prove it," he said through his smirk. Eddie went to move forward, but Richie pushed a finger to Eddie's lips, holding him still. "No no. As much as I love your lips, can you prove it with words? I'll go first, ok!"

"Richie!" Eddie exclaimed into Richie's finger on his mouth. 

"Me first, Eds, wait your turn," he grinned back, making Eddie purse his lips and furrow his eyebrows in frustration. "Edward Kaspbrak, these past few days of kissing you have been like a true wet dream come true." 

"Richie, gross!" Eddie squealed, cringing. Richie ignored him. 

"But I'm ready to take this to the next level, which honestly should've been the first level before the kissing but I am _not_ going to complain about that. Eddie, we should date!" The words came out easier than he thought they would, now that he had started. Eddie didn't respond for a second, and then suddenly, he was shoving Richie's hand away from his face with a firm slap. 

He launched himself at Richie again, but fast enough this time that Richie couldn't stop him. And then they were pressed together again, much like he had been the past week, Eddie's chest flush to Richie's and their hands tangled in each other's hair. Richie didn't have it in him to push Eddie away, not when they were all lips, teeth, and tongue. 

"Richie! Eddie! You guys down there?" It was Stan. Stan the man. 

"Every fucking time," Rich practically growled as Eddie pushed himself away from him. But what Eddie did next surprised him and let him know that he made the right decision. Eddie climbed up the ladder, shoved open the secret hatch, and popped his head up. 

"Go away!" he yelled, flipping off Stan and whoever else happened to be up there that Richie couldn't see from his spot on the floor. "We're having a fucking conversation down here!" 

Then he slammed the hatch back closed again and dropped down to the ground. Richie could hear Stan and maybe Bill laughing above ground as they walked away, but he was too busy laughing himself to care. 

"Wow, Spaghetti, you sure are fired up!" he laughed, eyes lit up in joy. 

"Shut up and let's talk," Eddie replied, smirking.


	22. "We could have a chance."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate title...a chance to dance! 
> 
> I apparently have a thing for Richie sneaking Eddie out of his house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a slur! 
> 
> Sorry this is late! I had work the past few days and this chapter is longer!

_"We could have a chance."_

//

"You guys should come!" 

"Bev, you know we can't. Not together." 

It was this argument again. Eddie hated this argument. Beverly was such a wonderful, good natured person. She often forgot about the horrible people that lived in Derry. She forgot how they treated people like him. 

"Eddie, come on," she sighed, gently pulling on his arm. "It'll be fun! Nobody will even question it!" 

"Like hell. You know they will." This time the argument was revolving around the school dance coming up. It was some stupid thing they were calling the _Senior Fling_. The losers all used to go to dances together, but this was the first dance since Ben and Beverly had started dating.

And Richie and Eddie, secretly of course. The losers all knew and so did Richie's mom, but nobody else. Eddie was too scared of the people in Derry. Too scared of his mom. Nobody else could know until they had made it out of this damned town. 

Ben and Bev naturally were going to go to the Fling together, but they didn't want to go alone since they were so used to being with the group. That's why Beverly was arguing with him again. Bless her sweetness, but she didn't realize how scared Eddie was of the bullies of Derry. If she thought carving a letter into her new boyfriend was bad, she should see what people do to fags like him. 

"I love you, Bev, but we can't go public and I don't feel like pretending not to care about him in front of the entire senior class," Eddie sighed. 

"You mean you're just going to accept that you won't ever dance with Richie at a high school dance? High school is almost over. You're running out of chances." 

"It's fine," Eddie smiled at her. "We're fine and happy even without the dancing. You and Ben go enjoy yourselves! Have fun for us, ok?" 

She threw her arm around Eddie's shoulder and pulled him to her side. She knew that Eddie was a soft romantic at heart and it made him sad that he couldn't go to dances or out on romantic dinner dates. But he loved Richie and being together the way they are was worth missing all of that. 

A few days later it was the day of the Fling, but Eddie was at his own house, laying in bed and kicking his feet in the air. His mom had made spaghetti for dinner but all Eddie could think about was how if he was going to the dance with Richie, he wouldn't go anywhere near a meal as messy as spaghetti today. He wouldn't want to get sauce all over his nice clothes. But he wasn't going to the dance so he ate the spaghetti, his mom grinning happily across from him. 

A knock on the window broke him out of his thoughts, but it didn't scare him. He knew who it was. Richie came over most nights, tapping quietly on his window to be let in. Eddie never hesitated, but this time, he did. Richie was peering through the glass, a big dopey grin on his face, which was normal. What wasn't normal was the clothes he was wearing. 

"Richie!" Eddie whispered loudly, throwing open the window. "Why the hell are you climbing trees in a dress shirt?" 

"Of course that's what you ask," Richie laughed, throwing his leg over the edge of the window and dropping into Eddie's room, a bag slung over his shoulders. It was just a white, long sleeved button up but the black dress pants definitely was not part of his normal attire. "You don't wonder why I'm dressed so spiffy. You just wonder why I'm in a fucking tree." 

"Seriously Rich." He looked really good in the tux and Eddie was having trouble focusing. "What's going on?" 

"Can you...come out with me for a little bit?" he asked, suddenly appearing nervous.

"Oh...._oh_!" It dawned on Eddie almost instantly and he drew back, sitting on his bed. "No! No, Richie! We are _not_ going to that dance!" 

"No, Eds!" Richie replied quickly, following Eddie and sitting next to him on the bed so he could curl their fingers together. "I know you better than that. Just trust me, ok?" 

"I can't believe you're still calling me that," Eddie rolled his eyes, but he shifted over so his legs were flush with Richie's. "Look. You're dressed up and I don't have anything nice so I can't go with you." 

"Funny you mention that," Richie grinned, sliding his bag off of his back. "I brought my baby a little present." 

"What are you-" 

"Put it on. Please? Spaghetti?" Richie's eyes were shining behind his glasses and Eddie was finding it harder to resist. But two boys walking down the street in fancy dress clothes on the same night as the dance...that was bound to catch peoples attention. 

"I don't know, Rich," Eddie sighed, leaning his head onto Richie's shoulders but he took the bag anyways, laying it on his lap.

"Eddie. _We could have a chance._" Richie was smiling, tightening his hold on Eddie's hand. "A chance for a real experience before high school is over. You gotta trust me, Eddie. You know I would never do anything to hurt or upset you." 

"Fine..." Eddie smiled softly. Richie had a flare for the dramatic, but this was all very exciting and romantic so Eddie decided to take the bait. "You win. You aren't going to tell me where we're going are you? It better not be the school."

"Not the school, my dear Spaghetti," he jumped up, grinning like a cheshire cat. "Come on, come on!" 

Eddie changed quickly, the suspense getting to him. The dress outfit matched Richie's perfectly, albeit shorter so it would fit him perfectly. He'd snuck out with Richie before, but never under such mysterious circumstances and in such fancy clothing. 

"How am I supposed to climb the tree with this outfit on?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and looking out the window. 

"The same way I climbed up," Richie replied, climbing halfway out the window and putting his foot on the branch nearest the window. "Very carefully. I'll catch you if you slip, but I know you. You'll be fine!" 

Once Richie was all the way down, Eddie followed him, slowly. He was a lot more cautious climbing the tree than Richie was. He could remember the pain of breaking his arm and didn't feel like reliving it anytime soon. Richie was right though, and he reached the ground perfectly safe. Eddie waited until they were safely in Richie's truck, which was parked down the street, before taking his hand again, lacing their fingers. 

"Where to?" Eddie asked, staring out the window as they pulled away from his house. 

"It's a surprise," Richie crooned, reaching behind the seat and pulling up another bag to set on Eddie's lap before linking their hands again. "In fact, here's the rest of your outfit to put on once we get there, but for now, close your eyes."

"Richie!" Eddie exclaimed. "What are you doing?" 

"I'm romancing, baby!" he laughed loudly, seemingly expecting Eddie's reaction. "I need to treat my man once in awhile, right? Come on, close your eyes." 

Eddie couldn't help but smile, leaning back and closing his eyes. Richie had definitely talked to Beverly, but Eddie didn't want to bring it up now and steal Richie's thunder. He clearly had created this whole plan and to be quite honest, Eddie was _very_ romanced at the moment. Richie was good at saying things that made his heart beat faster in his chest, but they didn't get to actually do much together, since Eddie didn't want to go public. 

The car ride was quiet after that, but a comfortable quiet with Richie occasionally humming or muttering to himself. Suddenly, the ride got bumpy and Eddie went rigid, but he didn't open his eyes. 

"Almost there, don't worry," Richie said, sensing Eddie's nerves. "It's a bit bumpy, but it's worth it. Much like a night with me and Mrs. K am I right?" 

"Beep beep, asshole," Eddie replied, but he chuckled in spite of himself. Richie really needed new material, but Eddie's mom had always been such a prime target. 

"Ok, ok! We're here anyways. No, no! Don't open your eyes!" 

"Richie! Come on!" 

"No, no. Listen. I'm going to get out and go in. Count to 60 and then get out, put the rest of your outfit on, and come inside ok? Ok!" 

Before Eddie could ask any more questions, he hears Richie's truck door open and slam shut. So Eddie does what he asks, counting to 60 probably faster than Richie intended, and then opens his eyes. 

The first thing he notices is that outside the window, it's mostly dark. There are no cars and he can see the dark outline of the woods to his left. To his right, he sees a familiar path, although it isn't usually this well lit. It's the path to the club house Ben had made, although it's currently lit through the dark with candles evenly spaced in little glass jars. They hadn't been to the club house too much recently, what with high school being so busy. It made a warm feeling of nostalgia wash over him.

Eddie quickly opened the pack, getting really intrigued and excited all at once. Richie had really done all of this? The bag Richie had handed him earlier in the drive contained a beautiful dark suit jacket and red tie, a perfect fit to him as he slipped it on. He made quick work of tying the tie around his neck, tightening it as he looked at the path towards the club house. He winced for a second, wondering if walking into the woods was going to make this gorgeous suit dirty, but the glow of the candles willed him to ignore that nagging thought. 

He walked down the path and the closer he got to the place he remembered so fondly, the more he could hear soft music playing. Eventually he reached the open trap door into the forest floor, a warm light cascading out. 

"Richie?" he called out softly, stepping closer to the door. 

"Hey! Yeah Eds!" Richie's voice came from below, the music gentle and slow. It sounded like some sort of pretty ballad that Richie wouldn't normally listen to. "You can come down now, babe! Get ready to have your mind blown!"

"Jesus, Richie," Eddie laughed. All of the romantic antics and yet, it's still the same Richie. Eddie wouldn't have it any other way. "Ok, here I come then even though that's not my name." 

Eddie started his decent down the wooden ladder into the club house, focused on avoiding kicking dirt up onto the suit, but nothing could prepare him for the new and improved room. There was an ornate rug covering the majority of the floor and fairy lights were strung all around the ceiling. Twinkle lights covered the support beams, sparkling beautifully and Eddie noticed that plastic lined the dirt walls. Richie must've assumed that Eddie would be worried about the dirt getting on his suit, and he was right. The music was coming from a boom box sitting on the table and there were a few small trays of foods, each under plastic covers, and a bowl of some sort of red drink. 

Then, there was Richie, leaning against one of the twinkling support beams. His glasses were sliding down his nose, eyes aglow behind them. Eddie felt his mouth drop open, seeing that Richie had added to his attire as well. The deep black dress jacket he had on was a stunning contrast to his pale skin, and he had a blue bow tie with yellow polka dots on. It was a very _Richie_ addition to the ensemble, making Eddie smile. He looked so incredibly handsome.

"Well hullo there, my good suh!" Richie crooned, immediately diving into one of his more annoying accents. "Come here often?" 

"Richie...what is all this?" Eddie was able to breathe out, taking everything in that he could. 

"Well, the school dance is going on right now," Richie shrugged, dropping the voice. "I know you don't want to go public in this town, and I don't really want to either. But that doesn't mean we have to miss out on the typical high school shit, right? Even if we're all that we really have...we can still dance!" 

"Richie!" Eddie gasped, pressing his hand to his chest. His heart was beating wildly and he was sure Richie could hear it. "I can't believe this, Rich."

"Believe it, baby!" Richie grinned. He went over to the boom box and pushed several buttons, finally landing on a soft piano song. He turned back to Eddie, grinning. "Care for a dance, muh dear?" 

Eddie didn't hesitate at all. He didn't know how many of these chances he would get with Richie, but he didn't want to pass this up. He reached out quickly, grasping Richie's hand in his own. Yeah, the deserved this chance.


	23. "You can't give more than yourself."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 and the final part of "and they were roommates" (from days 4 and 7!) 
> 
> We all know I'm a sucker for college!Reddie so we had to visit our roommates again and make sure they end happily...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is SO late because it's longer, but I adored these college boys so I went for it.

_"You can't give more than yourself."_

//

Richie was shocked. It had been a few weeks since he had tried the Marley and Me move on Eddie and he hadn't moved to the next step in his plan yet. The reason he hadn't was something odd for him that had never really happened before. 

He had developed very, _very_ strong feelings for his gay roommate. 

After the movie night fail, he found himself hanging out with Eddie outside of their room, which hadn't really happened before now. It started with just inserting himself into Eddie's tables at breakfast and lunch, squeezing in between Eddie and his friend, Stan. Ben Hanscom sat across from Eddie and next to him was Mike Hanlon. All three of Eddie's good friends were known to be book nerds, hanging out in the library between classes, and they were not people Richie was known for being friends with. 

As soon as he sat down the first morning, whispers broke out across the college cafeteria, muttering about the class clown and the nerds sitting together. Richie didn't care of course, seeming as he never cared what others thought about him. Eddie and Ben immediately got nervous, but Mike just chuckled and Stan rolled his eyes. They accepted him at the table despite that, Ben and Mike laughing at a lot of his jokes after only a few minutes. 

Eating breakfast and lunch together soon turned into sitting out on the grass after classes were over, Richie showing his music tastes to Eddie and Ben while Stan and Mike read books next to them. After the first three days of that, Richie's friends ended up joining them on the grass. Beverly and Bill, Richie's self proclaimed best friends. Beverly was the only person he considered truly cool in this world and Bill was such a good natured person, but aways up for some pranks and mischief. They were perfect friends for each other and the fact that they followed him over to Eddie's group of friends without question proved that. 

And after only a week of the group of 7 sitting out on the grass together after classes, Richie looked around and smiled. He and Eddie were in the middle of the group while Ben and Beverly listened to whatever album he'd brought for them and Stan gave a particularly uninteresting speech about a bird he thought Bill would like while sitting on Mike's lap, and Richie realized how perfect this all was. The two friend groups fit together like a puzzle, like pieces that didn't even know they were missing each other until now. And he glanced over at Eddie, who was sitting on a towel so he wouldn't get stains on his shorts. 

Eddie was reading a book that had been assigned to him from some class and since everyone was preoccupied, Richie found that he had time to stare at his roommate next to him instead of do his homework like he promised Eddie he would do. Eddie's freckles really stood out in the sunlight and his mouth was pursed into a thin line as he focused, eyes narrowed as he scanned the pages. Richie suddenly realized how beautiful he looked. 

"Hey, Rich? You ok?" Beverly suddenly piped up, the headphones she'd been listening to hanging loosely around her neck. "You're red. Are you sick?"

Eddie looked up, along with the rest of the newly formed friend group, and Richie realized how hot his face was, the blush prominent. Immediately, he deflected. 

"Ah, dear Bevvy. Your hair is so bright, it's reflecting the sun and now I have an intense sunburn," he sighed in a weird sort of half British accent, putting his hand to his forehead in a dramatic fashion. "You'll be hearing from my lawyers soon, as the damage to my beautiful skin is too great." 

Eddie snorted next to him and the others all rolled their eyes before going back to their own activities, simply enjoying each other's company. Eddie didn't though, instead leaning forward towards Richie. 

"She's right though, you do look red," he frowned. And then he was reaching out, pressing the back of his soft hand to Richie's forehead. Richie hoped Eddie didn't hear the way his breathing hitched at the gentle contact. He was in way too deep if just the realization of how pretty Eddie is could make him this flustered. 

"You're a little hot," Eddie concluded, drawing his hand back. 

"Oh am I now?" Richie muttered with the hint of a grin. Eddie rolled his eyes. 

"Jeez, Richie. I'm serious. Are you sick?"

"Ah, yeah. I'm going to turn in early. Don't worry about me," he shrugged, standing and stretching. "Would want to get little Eds sick." 

"Don't call me that," Eddie reminded him, but watched as Richie walked away to make sure he got inside safely. Richie hoped it was because Eddie cared and not just because he didn't want Richie passing out in front of him and making a mess. 

Once Richie was inside, he allowed himself to lean against the wall and breathe with his eyes closed. All of that had come out of nowhere. Thinking about how perfect the whole situation was. If two people's friend groups work so well together that now they seemed to be one big club...isn't that a sign?

"H-hey." 

Richie nearly jumped out of his own skin before he turned and saw who had startled him.

“Oh! Billy boy, it’s just you,” he chuckled nervously. He wasn’t usually this jumpy and Bill raised an eyebrow at him.

“You ok, R-Rich?” he asked, clearly concerned. “I saw you get up. Are y-you-“

“Billy can I tell you something?” Richie interrupted him, getting nervous as soon as he started talking. But he had to tell someone, it was just itching under his skin waiting to spring out.

“Sure, Rich,” he replied, placing a strong, comforitng hand on his shoulder. “You na-know you can talk to me.”

“I think I’m in love with Eddie.”

Based on his friend's expression, that wasn’t something Bill expected to hear. His surprise expression faded away quickly though, replaced with a smile. 

"That's gr-great, Rich!" he exclaimed, squeezing Richie's shoulder where his hand still sat. 

"No it's not, Bill! There's no _way_ he'll ever see me that way! He's much to clean cut and uptight and high standing and deserves someone so much better than me." 

"Woah, woah, Richie! Calm down!" Bill frowned, finally pulling his hand off of his shoulder. "Calm down. You na-know you're a great guy. Eddie would be l-lucky to have you and who knows...he m-might be interested." 

"I've got nothing to give him, there is no way in hell he'd be interested." 

"You know that's not how la-loving someone works. All he would want is you and to be honest, y-y-you're already giving him that. Look at what you managed to do! Ben and Bev are out there flirting up a st-storm and I s-swear I should've been friends with Mike and Stan ages ago. You did that just b-by being yourself around Eh-Eddie. You gave him yourself from the m-m-moment you made it your m-mission to clean your room for him. _You can't give more than yourself._" 

The ever bright Bill smiled up at Richie, crossing his arms, but Richie's mouth just hung open, gaping. Bill aways had a way with words but usually he didn't talk for too long at once because of his stutter. He must've really wanted to get his point across. 

"...I'm a catch?" Richie finally asked, eyebrows furrowed. Bill let out a loud laugh.

"Yes, R-Richie. You're a catch. You should tell him." 

And...he didn't. Another two weeks have passed since the discussion with Bill, and all Richie had managed to do was fall even deeper. The way Eddie laughs at his stupid jokes before telling him to shut up. Or the way he wrinkles his nose at something he finds disgusting. The way Eddie didn't mind anymore if Richie's head was in his lap or on his shoulder while they were sitting out in the grass. The way Eddie always seemed to care about how everyone was doing and making sure everyone was a safe, providing medicines and bandages at all times. He even set out advil, food, and water for Richie the morning after a particularly long party one night.

Richie was 100% whipped. And that's where he found himself now, staring up at his ceiling waiting for his roommate to arrive. He hadn't had to clean up too much, since he'd been pretty good at keeping it clean this time. He wasn't sure what he was planning, and he usually made a plan before taking any action when it came to Eddie, but he had to do something. His heart ached every time Eddie so much as smiled. 

While he thought about this, the door opened and Eddie teetered in looking worn out but in a relatively good mood. 

"Spaghetti head!" Richie couldn't help but beam, jumping straight up into a sitting position. 

"Jesus, Richie," Eddie rolled his eyes, but he had a slight smile on his face which made Richie feel even better. He kept talking as he removed his shoes at the door and began putting his bag in it's normal spot. "Hey, I ran into Bevvy on the way back and she said she...why are you looking at me like that?"

Richie didn't realize he'd been staring with a dopey grin on his face until it was too late and Eddie had turned back around to face him. He looked confused and yet slightly amused. Richie considered thinking up a lie to deflect. He could've easily have said it made him happy that he was friends with Beverly enough to call her _Bevvy_ or that he thought of a new dumb joke about Eddie's mother or Stan's bird obsession. Instead, he felt the dam of his mind break open and he found himself saying...

"You're really cute, ya know that, Eds?" 

"My name is _not_ Eds. But yeah, you tell me every day no matter how often I tell you to stop," Eddie huffed, grabbing a water out of the mini fridge and sitting down on the edge of his bed. 

"No, but...really, Eddie. You're really...I don't know." Richie is lost for words, unsure how to explain himself.

"Are you ok, Richie? You're acting weird again," Eddie asked, his face scrunching up the way Richie recognizes as concern. "Well, you're acting weirder than is normal for you." 

"You remember how you used to hate me?" Richie finds himself asking, leaning forward. "At the beginning of the school year, you wouldn't even talk to me at all." 

"I never hated you!" Eddie exclaimed, frowning. "I just...every time someone found out about me being gay, they thought it was disgusting so I just decided to distance myself from you. I thought it would be better for you if you didn't ever get close to me. I didn't count on you being such a stubborn hardass." 

"I take that as a compliment," Richie grinned. "But now you know I would never judge you for being gay, right?" 

"Of course I know that now," Eddie nodded. 

"What if I told you...I'm not straight either," Richie muttered softly, getting nervous all over again. He felt like he had to do this, but that didn't make it easier.

".....oh..." Eddie mutters. It isn't a question or even a statement. It's really just a noise and Richie wanted to scream. What does _oh_ mean? He doesn't talk though, just leans back on his bed and covers his eyes in the crook of his elbow. "Richie? What's wrong?" 

"It's nothing, Spaghetti-o," Richie replied without removing his arm. Because he couldn't see, Richie could feel the bed dip suddenly and he realized that Eddie was sitting on the edge of his bed. 

"Rich, seriously, did I do something?" Eddie's voice sounded so close and he was dripping with worry. Richie sat up, silently cursing himself.

"No, no, Eds! Never!" he exclaimed. "I'm just...I'm not good at talking." 

"What?" Eddie burst out into a fit of loud laughter. He'd never laughed this hard in front of Richie before and he drank in the sound. 

"You know what I mean!" he huffed, but couldn't help smiling, Eddie's laugh replaying in his head. "I never talk about myself. I just make jokes and shit."

"Richie, I don't care that you're not straight ok?" Eddie rolled his eyes again. "Just like you don't care that I'm gay."

"But...that's the thing, Eddie! I do care that you're gay!" Richie clenched his teeth as soon as he said it. He hadn't meant for it to sound like that. 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Eddie's eyebrows knitted together, confusion laced across his face. 

"Shit, hold on!" he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm trying here. I'm really trying." 

"What? Trying to be _ok_ with a gay roommate?" There was hurt in Eddie's voice and Richie knew he was digging a hole for himself. He sat up again and launched forward, gently grasping Eddie's wrist. 

"No! Eddie, jesus christ! I like you, ok?" Again, he hadn't meant for it to come out like that, but he couldn't stop it anymore. Eddie was getting upset and it was his fault for being too scared to be open. 

"Wait...what?" Eddie's mouth hung open, shocked. Richie squeezed his eyes shut and heaved a sigh, releasing Eddie's wrist so he could drop his face into his hands. 

"Fuck. Ok, I've liked you for a few weeks now, Eds. It's been kind of torturous trying to be normal around you when I really, really fucking like you. Like, a lot!" 

"Richie-" Eddie's voice was still filled with shock, but Richie didn't want to look up and see his expression. Probably disgust. Richie, the filthy, loud, raunchy. 

"And I know there's really no way you would feel the same way so I didn't want to bring it up, but Big Bill told me to tell you weeks ago. I just didn't want you to hate me or want me to move out or something! But please believe me, I would never _not_ be ok with you being gay and being my roommate. Hell, I'm glad!" 

"Richie! Shut up!" As soon as Eddie said it, Richie's mouth snapped shut, and he finally chanced a glance through his fingers to look at Eddie. 

Eddie was still sitting on the edge of the Richie's bed, but he was smirking now, eyes narrowed with amusement. 

"What's so funny?" Richie sighed, throwing himself backwards on his bed. "Here I am pouring my heart out and you're chucking it up." 

"Jesus, Rich. You're so stupid," Eddie bursts into a fit of laughter. 

"You don't have to rub it in, Eds!" Richie groaned. "The one time I _don't_ want you to laugh at me..."

"Don't call me Eds," Eddie mutters, still giggling. "But Richie, seriously! This is what you're all worked up about?"

"Yes! This is what I'm all worked up about, _Eddie_!" Richie replied hastily. "Yep. You do all of this cute shit all day and the more time I spend with you in this room and out of this room, the more I feel like my heart will explode." 

"That's a bit dramatic," Eddie chuckled again. 

"I'm always dramatic," Richie sighed. 

"You remember when you cleaned for me?" Eddie continued. "The first time, I mean. To get my attention."

"I'll never forget it, Spaghetti. The first time I truly cleaned in my entire life." 

"Wow, gross," Eddie chuckled. "But you got my attention. And then you kept it." 

"What does that even mean?" Richie grumbled, grabbing his pillow and shoving it over his own face. 

"I'll spell it out for you since you spelled it out for me," Eddie said, reaching over and grabbing the pillow so he could fling it away from Richie's face. "You spend all day trying to get everyone's attentions by being loud and making jokes and using stupid voices so it was really hard to ignore you like I planned. But now, when I see how far you're going out of your way to do things for me...you're actually a softie at heart aren't you?" 

"Me? A softie?" Richie asked with wide eyes. 

"You told me you wanted to be my Marley," Eddie rolled his eyes. "That's pretty fucking soft." 

"Aw shucks, Eds. You see right through me, don't you..?" 

"I do," Eddie said, ignoring the use of the word _Eds_ again. "And sometimes I like what I see."

"Wait...what?" Richie was shocked, not expecting the word _like_ to come out of Eddie's mouth when talking about him. 

"I'm not saying it again," Eddie insisted, shrugging. "You'll get a big head."

"No, no! I need you to be more specific! I'm stupid, remember?" Richie was trying so hard not to get his hopes up, but just hearing the positivity coming out of Eddie's mouth made him swoon. Eddie wasn't often very positive with anyone, being snippy more frequently than not. Richie asked him to be more specific, but he didn't expect Eddie to actually comply. 

"I like you, Richie Tozier. Plus, I need you to go back to normal so Bev will stop bugging me about you, so if me being more open about my feelings will keep your _heart_ from _exploding_, then I guess I have to."

"Eds!" Richie bolted up, scrambling forward on his knees. "You're not pulling my leg, right? You're being honest with me?" 

"What would I gain from lying right now?" Eddie asked, chuckling. 

"I just wanted to be sure! Can't blame me for being worried a man as perfect as you would want to play with the emotions of poor little ol' Rich." Richie was using a ridiculous voice, getting back to his normal antics, which is what Eddie wanted. "Can I ask you something?" 

"I suppose," Eddie replied, leaning back against the wall that Richie's bed was pushed up against. 

"Can I take you on a date?" 

"Richie...we live together. I'm pretty sure we can skip the awkward dating phase." Eddie's face was deadpan but Richie burst into a fit of laughter. 

Yeah, Richie was whipped and he was pretty happy about it.


	24. "Patience...is not something I'm known for."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of Richie pining....

_”Patience...is not something I’m known for.”_

//

Richie, age 16, had been obsessed with Eddie for months and everyone knew it...except for Eddie. 

The first person to find out was Stan. Richie and Stan had been friends for too long for him not to find out so quickly. Richie was “touchy-feely” with everyone but he paid extra attention to Eddie at all times. And any time he wasn’t paying attention to Eddie, Eddie would immediately demand attention by any means necessary. Stan found it annoying. He was one for facts and communication...Richie and Eddie were ignoring both, opting to just argue and touch each other without talking about their feelings. Stan rolled his eyes a lot. 

Beverly was next. She likes reading romance novels and recognized some similarities between Richie’s attitude towards Eddie and the lovestruck female in one of her books. Being the way she was, she immediately confronted Richie about it who attempted to deflect and change the subject until he broke down crying in front of her. Beverly never pushed him that hard again. She didn’t like to see Richie cry. 

Ben and Mike figured it out at the same time. Richie was in the library writing a report for some stupid class, or at least he was supposed to. Instead he was doing what Beverly referred to as _pining_. He was scribbling his and Eddie’s name in his notebook in different ways. Eddie Tozier. Richie Kaspbrak. Edichie. No he didn’t like that one. Reddie. That’s better! Then Ben was there, gasping, and Richie slammed the book closed, face red. Mike heard Ben and came over, asking what was up. Before Richie could tell Ben to keep it quiet, Mike was in on the secret and Richie was swearing them both to secrecy. 

Last was Bill. Good ol’ Billy boy had been preoccupied with his family and grieving together for his little brother, Georgie, but when he finally had the mental capacity to pay closer attention...it took him about the same amount of time as it took Stan. Bill always payed close attention to his friends and he recognized the gentle touches as things that Bevvy used to do when she thought she liked Bill. He didn’t confront Richie about it, since he knew Richie well enough to know he would tell him when he was ready. But he knew. 

Eddie, didn’t know. 

Sonia Kaspbrak had poisoned her son, not only with false meds and sugar pills, but with lies and her own beliefs. She shoved her homophobia down his throat without his even knowing, so he never even considered any of his friends to be gay. Ben taught Richie the term “heteronormative”, which apparently meant someone that just sees the world like its straight until proven otherwise. It broke Richie’s heart that Eddie couldn’t see past the end of his own nose and yet all of the other losers found him out so easily. 

“Richie, can I ask you something?” Beverly said one day while they were out behind his house smoking away their emotions. 

“You can ask it but I can’t promise I’ll respond without a joke,” Richie shrugged with a chuckle. He noticed how serious she sounded though, which just made him want to joke around more. He preferred his friends with smiles on. 

“Are you ever going to talk to Eddie?”

“I talk to my Spaghetti just about every day, darlin’,” Richie responded with a grin. 

“You know what I mean, Rich,” she frowned, taking a hearty drag of the cigarette between her fingers. 

“I...don’t know. What if he gets mad or something?” Richie replied, dropping his false smile. 

“He could never stay mad at you for long, hun,” Bev insisted. “Eddie needs too much attention for that and you’re the one that always gives it to him.”

“Bev, if he stopped talking to me or even hated me...god, I think I’d die.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Tozier,” Beverly replied with a smile. 

“It’s me you’re talking to, Bevvy. I’m always dramatic.”

“Fair point,” Beverly sighed, albeit fondly. “Listen. If Eddie gets mad, as he often does because he gets mad at everything, just have some patience. He’ll come around.”

“_Patience...is not something I’m known for._” Richie smiled sadly, but it was true. He felt like he had held his emotions in for so long that if they burst forward now and Eddie actually found out, he wouldn’t be able to handle not loving Eddie with everything that he had. 

“And what are you known for?” Beverly snorted, her curls bouncing around her face. 

“Why, my ginormous di-“

“I’m sorry I asked!” she screeched, cackling with laughter and shoving Richie’s shoulder. He laughed too, and the question was forgotten, moving on to a new topic which held less importance to Richie. 

But he thought about it that night, his blanket pulled up to his chin as he stared at the ceiling. He wished he could see the future. He wished Eddie was in it. He wished Eddie’s mom wasn’t so homophobic. He wished he didn’t know the meaning of the word _heteronormative_. 

Most of all, he wished he could get past his nerves and tell Eddie everything he felt. 

He didn’t have the patience though.


	25. "I could really eat something."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie is angry and Richie doesn't make any jokes!

_”I could really eat something.”_

//

Eddie was pacing the hallway, not wanting to sit in one room for too long. 

Richie was late, again. Eddie knew that he wasn’t as organized or structured, but this was the third time this month and Eddie had canceled plans with his literature partner to have dinner with Richie. Now he was just pacing endlessly. 

He considered calling his boyfriend to yell at him about wherever the hell he was, but it was the principle of the matter. If Richie didn’t care enough to remember dinner plans, did he really care about Eddie at all?

At that thought, Eddie sank to the floor, leaning against the wall in the hallway he had been pacing. 

Did Richie still care about him at all?

The door opened down in the front hall and Eddie immediately bristled, rubbing at his face to hide his tears. He heard the rustling of Richie dropping his keys on the table and removing his shoes. 

“Eds! I’m home!”

Eddie didn’t respond, not wanting to lash out immediately. He couldn’t believe it. The dinner had apparently slipped Richie’s mind entirely. It’s nice to see how important Eddie is to him...

“Eddie Spaghetti? Where ya at?” Richie turned the corner as he said it, his eyes landing on the crumpled form of Eddie against the wall. His voice instantly switched into concern. “Eds! Hey, are you ok?”

“_I could really eat something._” he muttered softly in reply. 

“What?” Richie asked, bending down to get on Eddie’s current level. “If you were hungry, you should’ve just eaten without me.” 

“_I could really eat something._” He said it a little more aggressively this time, forcing himself to look up into Richie’s eyes so he could see his face. And within a few silent seconds, the realization fell clearly across Richie’s face. 

“Shit! Dinner! Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Richie exclaimed, falling back slightly to sit on the floor in front of his boyfriend. “I was so busy at the radio station, I just got rolling and forgot. Eds, I’m-“

“Don’t call me Eds! Especially not right now, _Richard_!” Eddie yelled, jumping up suddenly and stalking away towards the kitchen. It was too late to make it out to dinner tonight so he decided he’d make his own. 

“Eddie! Eddie wait!” Richie called after him, running up to follow. “Really Eddie! I didn’t mean to!”

“But you did it anyways, whether you meant to or not,” Eddie grumbled more to himself than Richie. He was sure Richie would hear him though as he grabbed some pasta from the pantry and tossed it onto the counter with a little more force than he usually would. 

“Eddie...”

“Am I really that unimportant to you?” He finally snapped, turning with his arms crossed in front of him. Richie’s face was one of shock and worry, no jokes to be found. 

“What? Eddie! You can’t be serious!” 

“I am,” Eddie replied with a huff, leaving no room for argument. “Is it really that easy to forget me?”

“You’re the most important person in my entire life! I could never forget you! You’re everything to me!” 

“Apparently not. Your _station_ is more important, clearly,” he said, turning back around to begin cooking the pasta. Eddie knew he wasn’t being fair but he was too upset to care. Richie really didn’t realize how much it hurt to feel like he was forgotten, unloved. 

After Eddie moved out to go to college with Richie, his mother completely disowned him saying that he was sick in a way she couldn’t cure anymore. And since he couldn’t remember having any friends other than Richie while growing up, Richie was all he had. And Richie was all he needed. But maybe Richie didn’t feel the same way anymore. 

Eddie felt strong hands grasp his hips, the thumbs moving in slow circles on his side. He and Richie were always very touchy with each other, even with PDA. Because of that, they knew each other well enough that Richie knew exactly how to touch Eddie in any situation. The slow circles on his side always made him relax.

“Baby, I swear,” Richie sighed, leaning his forehead down onto Eddie’s shoulder. “You are more to me than anyone, anything, and any job. I would be nothing without you. I’m stupid and forgetful and I let time get away from me, and that’s why I need you! You fill in my blanks. You do what I can’t. You’re everything I could ever need or want out of life.”

After Richie’s heartfelt speech into Eddie’s shoulder, his thumbs still moving, it was silent for a good 30 seconds. Eddie never got to hear Richie spill his heart like that, seeming as the taller was usually reserved emotionally and vocal with his jokes. Hearing Richie say those things and feeling his hands on his hips, Eddie couldn’t help but melt. He was still angry though.

After a few more seconds of Eddie silently stirring the pot of pasta, Richie heaved a sigh and released his hips. Before he could turn around and walk away, Eddie grabbed his wrist. Richie immediately about faced, staring directly at Eddie’s face, but Eddie was looking away at the ground. 

“You’re not stupid,” he muttered under his breath. He was still mad, but he never wanted Richie to feel like he was stupid. Forgetful? Yeah. Stupid? No. 

“I’m sorry,” he said again, pulling his hand through so he could intertwine their fingers. Eddie squeezed gently. 

“I know.” 

Richie tugged on Eddie’s hand, pulling him into his arms and holding him tight. He couldn’t see Eddie’s face melt into a small smile in his chest, but he could feel Eddie’s arms wrap around him and that was good enough. 

“As much as I love holding you like this...you’re about to burn your spaghetti, oh my Spaghetti.”

“Jesus Christ, Rich.”


	26. "You keep me warm."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continued from the Fix It Fic of day 8! 
> 
> Eddie won't take off his shirt in front of Richie and Richie wants to know why!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sloppily written but it's an idea I had so I just threw it out there. I'm trying to catch up ASAP!

_”You keep me warm.”_

//

“No!”

“Please!”

“Fuck you! I said no!”

They’ve had this argument before. Three times to be in fact. It always ended when Eddie locked Richie out and made him sleep on the couch. 

After they’d defeated the dumbass clown and hauled Eddie to a hospital, they’d been stuck at the hip. The doctors said Eddie would need to be watched constantly for the next year, something in his stomach could tear or his organs could rupture. Lots of scary words like that. Richie immediately volunteered. Beverly asked him about his wife, at which point Eddie said “what wife?” with a wink and allowed Richie to roll him out the door in a wheel chair. 

Now, a month later (and a month into Eddie and Myra's separation), Richie still complained that Eddie never lets him check his scarring. According to Eddie, he could do it himself and he didn’t like people seeing him shirtless anyways. 

“I’m not just any person! It's me! I just want to make sure you're ok!” Richie had said the first time they argued. 

“What about _Myra_?” Richie had said the second time they argued. This was an underhanded comment and Eddie didn’t speak to him for hours after that one, but he broke his silence as soon as Richie wiped his muddy shoes on the carpet. 

However, the current argument was less about Richie checking his scarring and how hot it had gotten in the house. 

The two had been sharing the bed ever since Richie felt like Eddie was healed enough for cuddling. They never talked about it, but it seemed like neither of them ever wanted to sleep alone what with all of the nightmares they both suffered. The transition was easy and natural seeming as they’d always been touchy with each other as kids. And now, as adults, Richie was glad to discover that Eddie still didn’t mind being hugged and held, even if he wouldn't admit it. As soon as it got hot in the house with all of the hugging in bed, Richie started sleeping without his shirt. Eddie...did not. 

“It’s hot. Stay on your side tonight,” Eddie sighed, flipping over in the bed. 

“Oh come on! I can’t help wanting to cuddle,” Richie exclaimed, tracing his finger down Eddie’s clothed back. “Just take it off and it’ll be fine!” 

“If you ask me one more time, I’m kicking you out of this bed,” Eddie replies harshly without turning around. "I'll be too cold if I take it off. Right now, on my own, it's the perfect temperature."

“...it’s my bed you know,” Richie all but pouted, then he bit his lip and turned around. “_You keep me warm._ I can keep you warm...but ok whatever. Fine.” 

Ok yeah, he was definitely pouting now. But they fell asleep like that nonetheless, back to back and not touching, Richie under a blanket and Eddie in his shirt. 

About three hours later, Richie slowly wakes up feeling the need to relieve himself. He stood up, grabbed his glasses, and walked around the bed, stumbling towards the bathroom. He relieved himself quickly and walked to the bathroom door, pausing to turn off the light. That's when he looked up through the door and froze. 

From the light shining through the bathroom door, Richie could see Eddie's sleeping form on the bed, but that isn't what made him freeze. Eddie had a blanket pulled up over him, his bare shoulders peeking out from the top the blanket. He must've gotten too hot in the middle of the night and was planning to wake up before Richie to put his shirt back on. What he didn't count on was Richie waking up and discovering him. 

What he didn't count on was Richie looking at his shoulders and the top of his chest with the dim bathroom lighting spilling into his bedroom and seeing the black ink on his skin. 

Eddie...has tattoos. 

"_Holy shit._"

He must've said that louder than he intended because Eddie stirred slightly, the blanket slipping a little further down and giving Richie full view of the words _no dice_ and two stars, one on either side. Richie gasped loudly, slapping a hand over his mouth, but it was too late. Eddie woke up slowly.

"Rich? What are you...did you have a nightmare?" Eddie asked, sitting up. Richie thought he'd seen it all, but when Eddie sat up groggily, rubbing at his eyes, and Richie got a full view of another set of tattoos at the top of each of Eddie's arms. One was a signal tower and one was a tree branch. Not to mention his extremely sculpted _abs_. But then, the scar. 

It was in the center of his body, right in the soft spot below the ribs. Richie had never seen the wound, and seeing the angry looking scar now was a shock to his system. It spread across his skin like a jagged star, splitting his otherwise perfect skin. 

"Oh god..." Richie exhaled. That's when Eddie woke up enough to realize the he was still shirtless. 

"Shit, shit, shit!" he exclaimed, pulling the blanket back up and over his shoulders. "Richie!"

"Eddie...you have-"

"Don't! Richie, don't!" Eddie's face was pinched up, a tell tale sign of anger. 

"-tattoos! Why didn't you tell me?" Richie screeched bounding forward. "Show me, show me!" 

"You're such a child!" Eddie replied, flipping over and burrowing under the blankets. 

"No! Eddie!" Richie practically whined, jumping onto his side of the bed. "Is that seriously what you've been hiding this whole time?" 

"Leave it alone, Richie!" Eddie had his eyes shut like he was trying to go to sleep again. "It was just a spur of the moment thing in college." 

"Five separate tattoos are spur of the moment?" Richie exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement. It was like he was seeing Eddie with a whole new light. 

"Listen. If you must know, I was mad at my mom," Eddie sighed, rolling over again so his back was to Richie. "She had been lying for years and she had the audacity to call me and complain about how colleges use dirty needles in their campus health department. She demanded I go back home immediately or else they would infect me with their dirty _AIDs_ needle. That's when I decided I'd show her dirty needles. And I got a tattoo." 

"Which one? The stars? The signal tower?" Richie was acting like a kid at Christmas and it was irking Eddie's nerves. This was why he hadn't shown anyone. None of the losers would ever believe that little, hypochondriac Eddie Spaghetti would get a tattoo, let alone multiple. 

"No. I did those later. The first one is at the base of my back," Eddie muttered. He still didn't like Richie knowing, but Richie looked way too happy with his discovery. "I grew up getting poked and prodded so I didn't mind the tattoo needle. Although the guy got mad the first time since I requested to watch him clean the gun to make sure it was sterile." 

"Of course you would," Richie laughed loudly. "Come on, come on! Let me see!" 

"No, Ri-" Before Eddie could protest more, Richie reached over and yanked the blanket roughly, tossing it onto the ground behind him. Then, he pinned Eddie's left right arm to his side and grazed his fingers up and down Eddie's ribcage, eliciting loud bouts of laughter. 

"Let me see your beautiful works of art!" Richie demanded, continuing his assault of tickling. 

"R-Richie! Stop...jesus!" Eddie choked out, gasping for air during the attack. "I can't....I can't breathe! We're...fucking 40! You shouldn't....be into...tickling!" 

Richie finally stopped and traced a finger over the words tattooed on Eddie's chest. 

"You were cute before, Eds. Now you're fucking sexy!" 

"Just...just don't tell anyone," Eddie huffed, still gasping for air. 

"Trust me!" Richie replied, eyeing Eddie's abs. "This is a sight for me, and me alone. Just promise you'll start going shirtless around the house more because wowzers. You're a sight to see!" 

"Wowzers? Really, Rich?" Eddie frowned, looking wildly unimpressed. "It's got to be 3 am. Go back to sleep!" 

"Only if we cuddle," Richie grinned, releasing Eddie's pinned hand and racing to turn off the bathroom light. He stumbled back to the bed in the dark and jumped in, throwing an arm around Eddie's chest and pulling him flush. Eddie didn't protest this time, but he did make a mental note that it did feel good to have Richie's warm chest pressed up against his bare back. 

"Seriously. The _no dice_ tattoo is the sexiest thing I've seen in my life." 

"For the love of god, please shut up."


	27. "Can you wait for me?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continued from Day 24, but from Eddie's point of view! 
> 
> TW for some really negative thoughts about being gay!

_"Can you wait for me?"_

// 

Eddie stood, frozen to the spot next to Richie's house. He was going to hang out with his best friend, but when he heard familiar voices, he walked towards the back, towards the voices. But then he heard his name, and that conversation is what made him freeze. 

"Are you ever going to talk to Eddie?" It was Beverly's voice and they were definitely talking about him. At first, Richie tried to make a joke or two, but then his voice switched into an oddly serious tone. Eddie kept listening, but one phrase stuck out to him. 

"Bev, if he stopped talking to me or even hated me...god I think I'd die." 

Why would he ever hate Richie? There was no reason for Eddie to _ever_ hate Richie! Sure, they fought a lot, but it wasn't real fighting. Richie was his best friend! 

"Patience...is not something I'm known for," Richie's sad voice rang out, tone clear. Eddie never heard him talk like this before. He was usually all jokes and voices. 

But merely moments later, he was back to normal, cracking horrible dick jokes with Bev until she was laughing. That's when someone snuck up on Eddie, tapping him on his shoulder. Eddie had to resist screaming from surprise, but it was just Stanley. 

"Hey, you're eavesdropping aren't you?" Stan smirked, crossing his arms with a knowing expression. 

"What are you doing here?" Eddie huffed. "Jeez, don't sneak up on me like that!" 

"I'm here for the same reason you are," Stan shrugged. "I got bored at my house and Richie is fun to hang out with." 

"Yeah," Eddie replied, pursing his lips. "Yeah, I got bored." 

"You're eavesdropping," Stan repeated. "What did you hear?"

"I wasn't! They were probably back there smoking and I didn't want to get it in my lungs," Eddie insisted, crossing his arms to appear more sure of himself. 

"Richie is worried, isn't he?" Stan asked. Eddie's breath hitched, slightly shocked. Yeah, it had appeared that Richie was worried and it had to do with Eddie for some reason. "What's he need to be patient for?" 

"I...I don't know. I didn't really understand it," Eddie sighed, reluctantly. "They were talking like they both already knew the answers, so I didn't get anything from it." 

"Think, Eddie. Just think about it." 

He did. He thought about it a lot but he didn't want to. He didn't want to think about how Richie made his heart swell or how he only came over today because he missed Richie's dumb laugh. He didn't want to think about how he thought he didn't want a girlfriend because he had everything he ever needed in his friend group. He didn't want to think about when he realized he didn't want a girlfriend because she would take up too much of his Richie time. That was wrong and Richie...he wouldn't be interested in Eddie anyways. 

At least he thought that Richie was straight. But Stan was telling him to think about what Richie was saying, to really think about it. And the more Eddie thought about, the more hopeful he got. But the more hopeful he got, the guiltier he felt. He felt _wrong_. He felt _sick_. Eddie could practically hear his mother in his head, screaming about AIDs being sent to kill the promiscuous and disgusting. 

"Is anything clicking for you?" Stan asked, thankfully louder than the Sonia yelling in Eddie's head. 

"I-"

"Eddie Spaghetti and Stan the man!" a loud voice called out. Eddie turned and saw Richie's grinning face and a blush instantly rose to his face. He and Beverly must've finished smoking and heard the talking. "What's up?"

"Eddie and I were just talking," Stan smiled, walking over and slapping a hand against Richie's back in the form of a greeting. 

"Ah, Uris and Kaspbrak are talking it up," Richie chuckled, walking over and elbowing Eddie gently. "Whatcha fellows talking about?" 

"Nothing much," Stan shrugged. "It's just-"

"_Can you wait for me?_" Eddie suddenly blurted out, immediately regretting it. But it was too late and the words were out there. He couldn't take them back. Stan and Beverly were smirking at each other, but Eddie ignored them.

"What are you-?" Richie started to ask, but Eddie interrupted him firmly. 

"Just...just have some patience for once alright?" he exclaimed, before turning on his heels and stalking away from Richie's house with his hands clasped at his sides. Richie called after him, but Eddie couldn't turn around right now. He needed to work on some things in his brain before he could actually admit anything to anyone.


	28. "Enough! I heard enough."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good ol' Sonia is the main character of this one...

_“Enough! I heard enough.”_

//

Sonia never knew how much she could love until she held the little tiny boy in her hands. He was so small and so fragile. She knew immediately she wanted nothing in the world except for this baby to be safe for as long as she was alive.

Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to love. She lived her life afraid of the world and all the evils it contained and the only way she knew how to love was to bestow her fears upon her brand new bundle. This meant practically bubble wrapping him and keeping him away from any preschools or babysitters. He didn’t play outside with any kids because she didn’t trust any other parent to raise their children correctly. He didn’t go to the park because so many of those children could be carrying diseases or their parents could be against vaccines. There was just no way to be sure so she stayed with him 24/7.

When he was 6, she had to let him go to the first grade. It was torturous for her. He was going to be out of her sight and in the care of someone else, a teacher, who couldn’t possibly love her boy as much as she did. Sonia explained everything to the teacher. All of Eddie’s allergies and how delicate he was and that he shouldn’t be allowed to play outside. The teacher smiled and nodded, but when Eddie came home with a giant grin and a scrape on his knee, she knew the teacher didn’t listen to her.

She immediately had him moved to another class.

That’s where he met his little _friends_. Sometimes Sonia hates herself for moving him into that class. Maybe if she didn’t, her little boy wouldn’t have met _him_.

When Eddie was turning 7, he brought up his friends to her for the first time. He wanted them to come over for a party, three boys. Sonia didn’t know he had even made friends and it immediately scared her. She didn’t know why at first, but later she would realize it was jealousy.

“Stanley. You’ll like him, he’s very smart,” little Eddie explained to her, eyes wide. “And Bill! He’s really nice and helps the teacher all the time!”

“Who is the third person?” Sonia asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“Oh…his name is Richie. He’s…funny?” Eddie muttered, swinging his little arms.

“Eddie bear, why don’t you and I go to your favorite frozen yogurt shop for your birthday, huh?” she smiled, pinching his cheek ever so lightly. “Just you and me? It’ll be fun!”

Eddie didn’t put up much of a fight, but he did when he turned 9. This time, he wanted to go to a birthday party.

“Please ma! The others are going! Stan’s just having it at his house. It’ll be fine! I won’t even eat any of the cake.”

In the end, she didn’t let him go. But when the next birthday party came around, he’d said it was Bill’s this time, she finally broke. He was allowed to go but he had to pack his own snacks and he was not allowed to play any party games. He could only watch. Eddie was beaming though, agreeing to every rule she set.

Sonia waited by the door until he returned, still beaming. He was telling all of these fun stories from the party. The majority of the stories surrounded a kid whose name she recognized. _Richie_. The funny kid.

“He dropped the plate right on the ground, ma! You should’ve seen his face, but when everyone started laughing, he just played it off,” young Eddie giggled. “He was so cool!”

Sonia frowned as Eddie rambled on and on about all of the things that Richie had done at the party. Jokes he had made, a song he had sung, a stupid dance he had gotten Bill to do. Eddie could recount everything Richie had done, how he ate the food he had dropped off of the floor.

“Eddie bear, I don’t think you should hang out with this Richie child anymore,” Sonia said, once Eddie had finished telling all of the stories he could think of. “He seems irrational. You need better friends than that. You need me, Eddie.”

“What?” Eddie froze, his smile dropping.

“He seems like he’s a bad influence,” she continued, stroking Eddie’s hair gently. “You’ll be fine without him.”

He didn’t say anything, but he nodded. She didn’t think he would ever lie to her, but when he was 12, she found out that he had lied. He’d been spending time with Richie and the other children behind her back. She found out, but she didn’t know how to make him stop without tying him to his bed. And it came back to bite them when Eddie was 13. While playing with them, playing with Richie…Eddie broke his arm.

“I’m sorry, Ma,” he muttered for the 100th time since they had gotten home. She was so cross with him for disobeying her all of this time. She was right. She was vindicated. Eddie had disobeyed her, playing with Richie, and he had gotten hurt.

Unfortunately, Eddie didn’t make the connection and continued to play with them, going so far as to yell explicits at his own mother because he was so angry.

When Eddie was 15, it got worse. Richie. Richie. Richie. Every time she asked what was going on at school, he only talked about Richie. He acted like he was angry and would fight with Richie constantly. He acted as though Richie was the most annoying person he’d ever met. But Sonia saw right through him. That’s when she started to catch on. Normal little boys don’t talk about their friends this much, no. They talk about people they…_like_ that much.

At first, she refused to believe it, but when Richie started coming over more and Eddie started smiling more than she thought she’d ever seen, Sonia couldn’t deny it any longer. And that’s when they had the fight.

“Ma, Richie is coming over after school today,” Eddie told her that morning. She froze, hearing Richie’s name like a virus in her ear. Only Sonia should be making Eddie that happy. Only she loved him that much, gave up everything for him.

“Actually, Eddie. I’ve decided that Richie won’t be allowed to come over anymore,” she sighed, glancing at him through her peripheries. “Instead, we can order some nice food from the grocery store. Then we can go pick up your new prescription and maybe-”

“What do you mean he can’t come over anymore?” Eddie suddenly screeched, not caring to listen to the rest of her practice speech.

“Oh. But Eddie he’s a bad influence,” Sonia replied, startled by his outburst. “You know his mother doesn’t care about him like I care about you and it shows. He’s a ruffian.”

“You don’t know anything about him!” Eddie frowned, suddenly appearing furious. “Don’t talk about his family like that!”

“Eddie bear! Do _not_ raise your voice at me!” she exclaimed, eyes wide. There was no way Eddie would be mad at her right now. She just wanted what was best for him. Richie would hurt him and she never would! It just wasn’t _right_ for a boy to want to spend time with another boy instead of his own ma.

“Then I’ll just go to Richie’s house instead!” he yelled back, and slammed the door on the way out. Sonia was forced to realize the fact that Eddie was growing up and starting to make his own decisions. But she didn’t have to be happy about it.

Things stayed this way, Eddie going to Richie’s house almost daily and Sonia never seeing Richie’s face again until Eddie was 17. Things were getting too serious now. Eddie never talked to her anymore except to argue. On one hand, she didn’t have to hear about Richie anymore, but on the other hand, she didn’t hear about anything from him anymore. She missed him, but he was too big to force him anymore. He still took his meds and used his inhaler, but it appeared to be out of habit instead of out of love and respect for her.

She missed her Eddie bear. She only wanted what was best for him!

But he wanted Richie. And he finally realized it when he was 17.

“Ma,” he called, walking down the stairs once Saturday morning. Sonia was in her nightgown sitting at the table and since he was so secretive and never talked to her these days, she was itching to have a conversation.

“Yes, Eddie hun! I’m over here! Would you like a bagel? I have extras!” She was grinning widely, sliding the bagel across the table to him.

“Ma, I have to talk to you,” he continued, sitting down and ignoring the bagel.

“You can talk to me about anything, Eddie bear!” She was so happy. Was he finally going to apologize? Was he going to admit that Richie had been the worst friend he could possibly pick?

“I’m going to go to college with Richie. In California.”

The mug she had been holding hit the ground and shattered into several pieces. She hadn’t heard him talk about California ever. He was always supposed to go to the community college near Derry so he could commute. If he went away to college, there’s no telling what they could do to him. What _Richie_ could do to him.

“Sweetie! Wh…_California_?” she exclaimed, grasping her chest. “Eddie, I can’t move to California!”

“No, ma,” he shook his head, seemingly unfazed. “You’ll stay here and I’ll go with Richie.”

“E-Eddie…I think I’m having a heart attack,” she gasped, her chest feeling strangely tight. “Eddie, help me!”

“You’re not having a heart attack,” he frowned. “Stop.”

The forcefulness of his voice made her freeze. He’d never sounded so sure of himself. He’d sounded angry and he’d yelled, but he’d never sounded like this. She almost heard pity in his voice, but she was so focused on how unapologetic he appeared.

“Eddie…”

“I’m going with Richie.”

She felt like her heart was breaking in half. He was choosing him over her. He was choosing _Richie_ over his own _mother_.

“Ma. You have to understand something,” Eddie said, crossing his arms with defiance. “I’m becoming an adult soon and I can make my own choices. I still want to include you in them, but if you try and stop me from living my life, I will leave and never look back.”

“_Enough! I hear enough._” she screeched, jumping up finally and slamming her hands down on the table. The thought of Eddie abandoning her to go off across the country was insane. Eddie didn’t know how to take care of himself and Richie was no replacement for a mother’s love!

“Mother,” he said calmly, narrowing his eyes. “I love Richie.”

Sonia passed out.


	29. "I'm doing this for you."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oop this will be sad. It's just a slight retelling of THAT scene in Chapter 2. It'll be this REALLY short chapter as the first part and the next chapter is the second part. 
> 
> Richie would do anything for Eddie, even sacrifice himself in the Neibolt house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS. IS. LATE. 
> 
> I just finished moving and then I had a convention this past weekend so I had absolutely no time to write. Almost done and then I can go back to writing Return to Derry!

_I'm doing this for you."_

//

They were running back towards the main part of the cave again, running from those stupid doors. He didn't think the scare would be so mental. Sure, a stabbing is scary but there are things that are scarier. The closet. He couldn't believe it was a closet. Yeah. Very fucking scary. 

He and Eddie had both froze, staring at it. He couldn't tell what Eddie was thinking, but it was absolutely a slap in the face to Richie. Pennywise knew. He _knew_ and chose to do this mental torture sort of thing. 

Sure, coming out of the closet was literally the scariest thing he could ever think of. There was the chance it would ruin his friendships or his family would disown him, but in Derry, it was a literal death sentence and there was proof of that. So yeah. Closets scared him. 

While thinking about all of this, he suddenly jolted, realizing that Eddie wasn't with him anymore. For a moment, he got so scared again. Did the demon dog burst out from behind the door and get him when he wasn't looking? Was there something even worse behind the "scary" door? But no, he was just down the hall scrounging around on the ground trying to find his dropped flashlight. 

Richie saw him there and it was almost like seeing Eddie as a kid again, so small and trying his hardest even if he didn't think he was. He was so strong even though his own mother did her best to knock him down and make him delicate. He was strong in every way Richie was weak, lying about his feelings and pretending he was something he isn't and never would be. 

That's when Richie realized what was truly scarier than anything else. If he lost Eddie to this thing, to _It_, he wouldn't be able to recover. He needed to do something to stop It before it was too late. He needed to stop It now without Eddie to make sure he didn't get hurt. A world without Eddie...that's very scary. So he turned and ran towards the cave, away from Eddie who was still scrambling in scrambling around. 

"_I'm doing this for you._" He muttered to himself, as if trying to work up the courage he needed to do whatever needed to be done. He needed to do anything to protect Eddie. 

He walked towards the demon clown, ready to fight.


	30. "I'm with you, you know that."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the previous chapter! We have the tiniest of plot divergence here, but it's a short retelling of THAT scene in Chapter 2.

"_I'm with you, you know that."_

//

Eddie finally found the flashlight and stood up straight, clicking it back on. 

"Hey, Rich! I-" he said while turning, but Richie was gone. Eddie panicked, glancing around frantically, but then he could hear shouting from up ahead. He spared one last glance at the doors behind him before racing up towards the area where the clown certainly was. He could hear loud, strange sounds from the cave up ahead and when he turned the corner, it was like his worst nightmare come true. 

Richie was suspended in midair, eyes wide and colorless, mouth hanging open. It was so scarily odd to see him, mouth open but no words coming out. It was so unnatural. So _not_ Richie. He squeezed the iron bar in his hands, reminding himself of what Beverly had told him. He had to believe. He _had_ to believe. For Richie's sake! 

"This thing kills monsters..." he muttered. "If you believe it does." 

Then he turned towards the clown, resolute now and standing taller than he ever had before. He had to do this! 

"Beep beep, motherfucker!" he found himself yelling. He hadn't truly said _beep beep_ in years, but it felt right in the moment. If there was anything he wanted to stop, it was Pennywise. He needed the damn clown to stop mind fucking Richie and give him back, safe and sound. He threw the bar and it crashed through the air, flying as if aimed by some magical force. It struck It directly in the throat, blocking out the wretched lights that were shining out of It's mouth. It thrashed, falling back onto a spike behind it, gasping and screaming. Eddie heard a loud thump as Richie crashed to the ground behind him. 

"Rich! Richie!" he yelled, turning away from the demon clown and raced for his discarded..._friend_. He kneeled down, one leg on either side of Richie's, who wasn't moving at all. No, no, no. "_I'm with you, you know that._ Right, Richie? Come on! Come on, open your eyes!" 

Richie finally started shifting, blinking slowly. Eddie could've cried in joy but he kept himself calm, instead just grinning widely. He had done it! He had defeated It and saved Richie all in one well aimed throw! Richie finally seemed to focus on Eddie's face and his eyes went wide. 

"Richie! I did it! I...I _think_ I killed It!"


	31. "Scared, me?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY THE LAST PROMPT!! 
> 
> We've come full circle! This is part 2 to day 2, the Halloween fic where the other losers scared Eddie and Richie! 
> 
> I had to end with some fluffy confessions!

_”Scared, me?”_

//

Richie finally started slowing down, gasping and grabbing at his side. He had started running, dragging Eddie behind him, but soon enough Eddie over took him and had been dragging him instead.

“Eddie! Slow…slow down! I can’t breathe!” he was muttering, trying to catch his breath as best as he could. Eddie finally stopped, regretfully releasing Richie’s hand as he flopped down on the ground. Richie followed suit, but instead rolled over onto his back, not caring how dirty his hair got from laying down like this.

“Great job, asshole!” he practically screamed, brushing his hands across his cowboy pants trying to get the dirt off as he sat on the forest ground. “We could’ve died!”

“Ah man that was exilerating, Eds!” Richie laughed loudly. His heart was running faster than they had been, but he was with Eddie and running with him through the woods had actually been a lot of fun. An adrenaline rush with his secret crush? What could be better?

“You’re kidding me,” Eddie frowned, shoving Richie’s shoulder. “You were scared.”

“_Scared, me?_” Richie chuckled. “No way. More like startled. It was probably just Miley and Bill pulling another prank.”

Eddie’s face dropped in surprise. He hadn’t thought of that but it seemed extremely likely. Mike was the one that told them the story in the first place and nobody else had wanted to come so perhaps…

“Oh…” he muttered, chewing on the inside of his cheek for a second. “I…didn’t think about that.”

“That’s what I’m here for, Spaghetti,” Richie grinned, rolling over onto his stomach and resting his chin in his hands.

“God those stupid nicknames, Rich,” Eddie huffed, rolling his eyes. Then it got quiet again as they continued to rest from all of the running. The silence allowed Eddie to think about Richie had said earlier. Eddie had asked him what he was doing at the kissing bridge and Richie had deflected hard, making another _your mom_ joke. He hadn’t really answered the question.

“Richie?” Eddie mumbled, not wanting to make eye contact.

“Yes, my Eds?” Richie replied, his voice smiling.

“What do you really do out on the kissing bridge?” He asked, trying to keep his voice even. He cut Richie off before he could asnswer too quickly. “And I know you’re not out here carving my mom’s name so don’t you dare fucking say that again!”

Richie’s mouth snapped shut. He’d thought Eddie would forget about that, what with the running for their lives from some fake bridge hobo. Apparently he hadn’t though and he wanted a real answer. Richie couldn’t tell him though. He came out here to daydream about his Eds and Eddie did _not_ need to know that.

“No reason,” he shrugged, trying to recover. Eddie’s frowned deepened. “It’s just…I don’t know. It’s relaxing out there.”

“Relaxing?” Eddie asked, sounding extremely skeptical.

“Yeah totally! Come on, let’s go!” Richie grinned. “It’s dark we should-“

“Richie, did you carve something into the bridge? Yes or no?” Eddie’s face was so serious, his nose wrinkled and his lips pinched up, Richie didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to lie but he was definitely more scared of what Eddie’s reaction would be than he was running from the bridge hobo.

“…maybe.”

“Jesus Christ, Rich!”

“Yes! Yes I did!” Rich huffed loudly, sitting up and crossing his arms. “You win. I scratched some shit on the bridge, ok?”

“Who?” Eddie asked, not wanting to give away his deepest wishes in his tone of voice. 

"...you don't want to know," Richie sighed, not wanting to make eye contact either. They were both just staring away into the dark forest, trying to ignore their own panics at the conversation. But Eddie just had to know. He couldn't wait any longer. 

"I need to know," Eddie finally said, hardening his gaze and looking over at Richie. "Rich, look at me. I know it's dark, but fucking look at me, please." 

Richie did, slowly but surely, and as soon as they made eye contact, Richie's face softened. Eddie looked so determined and had his own arms crossed firmly over his chest. Richie looked at him and saw the the strong person he'd fallen for years ago. 

"Eds, we can't go back if you make me talk about this right now," Richie practically whispered, drawing his knees up to his face. 

"What if I don't want to go back?" Eddie shrugged. He was really starting to believe he was right. Maybe he _could_ get his hopes up for once. Richie would usually jump on the chance to brag about something like scratching a girls name into the bridge. But now...

"Eddie..."

"I could kiss you." The words coming out of Eddie's mouth even surprised him, but he wasn't taking them back. 

"What?" Richie screeched, his jaw dropping as far as it could go. Very few times did Eddie get to see Richie truly speechless. 

"You heard me," Eddie continued, unphased at this point. "I think you're hiding something from me and I could either go back to the bridge tomorrow in the daylight and find your hand writing or I could kiss you now and see if I'm right." 

Eddie wanted to memorize Richie's panicked face at the moment. He claimed to be the comeback king, but right now it looked like he couldn't form any coherent thoughts at all, let alone speak. But he wasn't saying no...in fact, his expression was comically hopeful under his cheap, fake cowboy hat. 

"Rich..?" Eddie muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Earth to trashmouth?" 

"It's E! I carved an E!" Richie rambled suddenly, eyes still wide as his gaze darted to the forest floor. Then he jumped up, stretching briefly, and turned to start walking in the direction to Eddie's house. "Come on, Spaghetti! Wouldn't want the lovely Mrs. K to get worried!" 

"Richie! Richie, wait!" Eddie called, jumping up to follow him. It was still really dark and he was still pretty shaken up from all of the running from the bridge. They walked for a few more feet, Richie in front and Eddie directly behind him. Richie had actually admitted to it! There's an E on the bridge somewhere in his sloppy handwriting and Eddie couldn't think of any girls they knew that started with E. It had to be for him! Richie had to have been thinking about him! After about 30 seconds of silent walking, Richie stopped and Eddie nearly ran into him. "Hey!" 

"Did you mean it?" Richie asked, spinning around and glaring at Eddie through his thick rimmed glasses. "Would you actually kiss me?" 

"I...yeah, I wouldn't mind," Eddie shrugged, his mind rolling over that E that was carved onto the bridge. 

"Would you really? You're not bullshitting me like Mikey and Billy?" Richie looked so oddly serious in the dark. If it weren't for the light of the almost full moon, Eddie wasn't sure he'd be able to see Richie's face. 

"No. I'm not _bullshitting_ you," Eddie said, frowning again. 

"Because if you are, I swear to god-"

Richie didn't get a chance to finish whatever sentence he was trying to say because Eddie had reached up, grabbed the front of his cowboy shirt, and yanked him down hard. Richie yelped in surprise but was silenced as soon as his lips fell onto Eddie's. His face felt like it was hotter than it had ever been before as Eddie's fingers twisted in his shirt, holding him in place. After a second of standing rigid and nervous, Richie slowly brought a hand to Eddie's back and pulled him closer to him, as if he was afraid he would disappear in his arms. They must've stood there, lips together and bodies flush for at least a minute when suddenly...

"CANDY! GIVE ME YOUR CANDY!" 

Eddie leaped, flying backwards away from Richie and landing on his butt as he screamed. But Richie wasn't falling for it twice. 

"Jesus fucking christ, Mike!" he screamed, racing towards the figure in a dark coat that was standing about 10 feet away. "I'm going to kill you! Can't you see we're having a fucking moment!" 

Mike and Bill took off, screaming their laughter as they ran away from the murderous rage of Richie Trashmouth Tozier. Eddie was just sitting on the ground, completely still as he breathed heavily as he watched Richie chase the two pranksters off towards town. Ben, Beverly, and Stan walked up, each with apologetic smiles on their face. 

"Sorry," Ben said first. "We tried to convince them to leave you guys alone, but they're in a particularly fun mood tonight." 

"How much did you see?" Eddie asked, pursing his lips. 

"We walked up when he mentioned the _E_," Beverly admitted, offering Eddie a hand to help him stand back up. "Come on. Let's go get your man and then we'll leave you alone. I swear." 

"Did you guys know he carved on the E? Is that why you chose the kissing bridge?" Eddie asked. Beverly chuckled, but made a motion to zip her lips and pantomimed locking them closed. Eddie just chuckled to himself as they walked off to fall the other three losers. 

"Happy Halloween," Stan rolled his eyes. "Let's go now before Richie actually tries to kill them." 

Eddie smiled to himself, looking back the way they had come from the kissing bridge. 

Yeah. It had been a happy Halloween.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for following me on this journey! I'm sorry my writing got so sporadic! I still wanted to finish it despite that. 
> 
> Thanks for commenting here and there! I'd love for you guys to check out my main fic that I'll be moving back to work on now! 
> 
> Have a great end of the year! Love you guys!


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